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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25081831">Two Lines</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crejhov/pseuds/Crejhov'>Crejhov</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Discussion of Abortion, F/M, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Unplanned Pregnancy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:00:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,516</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25081831</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crejhov/pseuds/Crejhov</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Heartbroken over Eren's new girlfriend, Mikasa decides to go out for a night of fun. What she wasn't prepared for was the surprise she walked away with that night just waiting for her to discover it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mikasa Ackerman/Levi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>143</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>287</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were two lines.</p><p>“No way,” She mumbled under her breath, willing her eyes to be wrong. The little stick of plastic felt like lead in her hand.</p><p>To some, those two lines could be the best news. And to others, it could be the worst news.</p><p>“This can’t be right, it has to be wrong.” She set the test down and backed away from her vanity. </p><p>It was wrong. A false positive was the term, right? It couldn’t be right because that would mean she had terrible luck. And maybe, ok, she did have terrible luck but it didn’t apply here. </p><p>Right?</p><p>Tearing her eyes away from the test she snatched her purse up off her bed where she’d tossed it fifteen minutes earlier. “I’m going to take another test,” Just to be sure. Confirmation of a result was a thing people did all the time. Not just with this kind of issue. Still, probably she’d buy more than one brand when she got to be sure, in case the brand of the test she’d just used was faulty. That happened sometimes and it was probably what happened here.</p><p>There was no need to panic.</p><p>Two Months Earlier</p><p>“So, Annie and I are dating now, officially,” Eren said as the waiter walked away with their order, his eyes flickering between Mikasa and Armin.</p><p>Huh?</p><p>“Really?” Armin’s voice cut through the fog in her brain. “Congratulations!”</p><p>“Congratulations,” She mimicked, sounding robotic even to her own ears but she couldn’t force any other words from her mouth to make it better. It seemed to be enough for Eren though as he started to grin.</p><p>Dating? Eren was dating someone? And it was someone she didn’t even know. Who was Annie? Where did she even come from? How had he never brought her up before? She felt blindsided by the announcement.</p><p>Armin, ever observant, caught on to her confusion and placed a hand on her elbow. “You remember Annie, she went to the same college as me.” Mikasa did not remember. Not at all. “We hung out with her a couple of times that summer we worked as lifeguards at the beach.”</p><p>Mikasa just shook her head hopelessly.</p><p>“She’s tiny and blonde and she boxes,” Eren said, and still Mikasa had no idea who she was. Was she supposed to remember everyone they’d ever spent five minutes with? “Anyway, she started work at my company about two months ago, she’s in the legal department. We’ve been on a few dates but decided to make it official a couple of days ago. You guys are the first ones I’ve told.”</p><p>If it were any other situation, Mikasa would be grinning right along with him. His happiness was infectious like that. Instead, she wanted to find a deep, dark hole to crawl into and cry.</p><p>He pulled out his phone and laid it in the middle of the table. It was a picture of Eren and a short blonde girl, she barely came up to his chest. Eren had his arm slung around her and they were both grinning at the camera. </p><p>Mikasa remembered her now and those old feelings of resentment began to surface once more. Annie had been the girl who played volleyball on the beach all summer and she only ever seemed to show up when Eren was on duty. Her father had some sort of business near the beach which she worked at during school breaks if Mikasa was remembering right. </p><p>She was the reason Mikasa had insisted on jobs closer to home the next summer.<br/>
“She looks nice.” Mikasa felt bile rise in her throat as soon as the words were out fo her mouth. She wanted to hate Annie so much, but one look at Eren smiling down at the picture of them was enough to slow her gut reaction.</p><p>“I wanted to invite her to our dinner night next week, is that cool?” Eren asked before taking a sip from his drink. "Kind of reintroduce her?"</p><p>“I’m fine with it,” Armin was quick to answer and glanced at Mikasa who could do nothing but nod along. She couldn’t very well say no.</p><p>That night, as Mikasa lay huddled under her comforter and holding the teddy bear her parent’s had given her as a child close to her chest, she decided that no, she was not fine with it. Their dinner nights were something that they had always done just with the three of them and now Annie gets to come?</p><p>She did not want Annie to come. She didn’t want Annie anywhere near her, Armin, and especially not Eren. Mikasa wasn’t so cruel as to want the other girl dead, but she did want her on the other side of the planet. The further away, the better.</p><p>Mikasa couldn’t remember the first time she realized she had a crush on Eren, sometime in middle school, maybe? But she had always known he’d never return those feelings. They’d nearly been raised as siblings since they were nine. Still, she’d daydreamed about what a life together with him by her side would be like. </p><p>It was unrealistic. There was no happy ending for unrequited love. At the end of the day, he was still her best friend and she would be happy that he was happy. That’s all she had in her heart to give right now. Maybe Annie wasn’t a bad person and she could learn to like her. Until then, she would just need to bury her feelings and pretend like she was happy for the couple.</p><p>It wasn’t until two weeks later as she was hanging out with Sasha that things took a turn for the worse. When her closest female friend wasn’t talking about food, she was talking about her boyfriend Niccolo the chef. </p><p>“So, Connie and Niccolo went to play video games at Eren’s this last weekend and apparently guys talk about sex stuff because when he got home he did this thing with his tongue and you know in cartoons when the cat gets hit with a mallet and see’s little birds flying around his head? It was like that!” Sasha let out a dreamy sigh and draped herself across Mikasa’s bed.</p><p>Mikasa, who had been at her computer reading a work email stopped and turned to face her friend. She spent a long minute looking at the ridiculous girl trying to understand the words that had been said to her in the order the words had been presented in. And when that failed… “What?”</p><p>Sasha giggled and rolled over on to her stomach, “I can’t really explain it, you’ll just have to try it for yourself.”</p><p>Mikasa made a face at the thought of Niccolo’s tongue anywhere near her. He was a nice guy and a fantastic chef, but he was Sasha’s boyfriend and she wasn’t that kind of friend. She didn’t think Sasha and Niccolo were that kind of couple.</p><p>“Not with Niccolo!” She said with a laugh and hurled a pillow at Mikasa which missed and glanced off the arm of her chair and onto the floor. “You’ll have to find your own man.” She paused and squinted her eyes. “Or woman?”</p><p>Mikasa rolled her eyes and scooped up the pillow from the floor, launching it back at Sasha. A direct hit. “I like men.”</p><p>“Then you need to find you a man who can curl his tongue like this.” Sasha opened her mouth to presumably demonstrate a curled tongue but all hers did was twist and flick about. “Alright, so I can’t do it, but that’s why you have to find one who can! You can finally get rid of your virginity!”</p><p>Mikasa wasn’t too impressed with the whole concept of sex, probably because she’d never had sex. And maybe a little place deep inside her heart had hoped Eren would have been her first. But that was never going to happen, not in the past and not in the future. </p><p>“Where did Niccolo even learn that? I thought Connie was still 0 for 0 with women.” She said, turning back around to her computer and hoping to distract Sasha. The last time her friend had tried to hook her up with someone had ended in disaster. Talking about Connie’s lack of success in love was always a sure-fire way to distract her.</p><p>Right on cue, Sasha snorted. “As if, apparently Eren was the one dolling out all the advice.”</p><p>It hurt so much she could feel it in her fingertips. She’d long known Eren had been with girls like that. This was nothing new and hadn’t been since high school. But it still hurt and she quickly swiped at the few tears threatening to spill. Funny, she thought she’d used them all up.</p><p>Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the card Ymir had given her, half-buried in a stack of books and loose papers. It was a membership card for a high-class members-only bar that Ymir worked at as a bartender. Ymir wasn’t even her friend really, but she was Historia’s girlfriend and Historia was her friend. They’d been roommates their last year of college and where Historia went, Ymir followed. </p><p>A couple of months ago, while they’d all been out for drinks and dancing, Ymir had handed her the card telling her she’d won it in some kind of workplace giveaway. “You’re the only person I know who has never been laid.” It had been a bad joke, as all jokes Ymir told were. But now…</p><p>Mikasa considered that membership card long after Sasha had left. It wasn’t until after she’d gotten out of the shower that she’d made her decision. “I’m going out for the night.” She’d told her reflection in the fogged mirror of her bathroom. There was no point in making herself miserable waiting for someone who would never come to her.</p><p>Present</p><p>Mikasa stood hunched over her vanity, cold dread rooting her to the spot. Seven pregnancy tests of various brands lay before her. All of them positive. The odds that they were all false positives were near zero. She was pregnant.</p><p>“What do I do now?”</p><p>She was saved from answering that question for the moment as someone began to unlock the door to her apartment. In a mad dash, she opened a drawer in her vanity and shoved the pregnancy tests in. She managed to slam the drawer shut and nonchalantly lean against the vanity just as the door opened to reveal Sasha. The burst of adrenaline left her feeling shaky and irritated. </p><p>“Don’t you ever knock?” She snapped. Just as soon as the words had left her mouth she felt guilt well up in her chest. Sasha wasn’t at fault here. </p><p>For her part, Sasha looked very confused. “No?” She had a stick of jerky sticking out of the side of her mouth making her answer muffled. “I have a key.” She wiggled the key in her hand for emphasis. </p><p>Sasha closed the door behind her and gave Mikasa an odd look as she walked further into the tiny apartment. “What are you doing?”</p><p>“Huh?” Mikasa looked down at herself and realized that her feigned nonchalance wasn’t fooling anyone and that the whole thing came off as more suspicious than anything. “Nothing.”</p><p>She moved away from the vanity in an attempt to divert attention from the secret it now contained. “So what brings you here?”</p><p>“Oh, Pa sent me some jerky from our hunting trip last fall, and thought I'd share.” She said, moving further into the apartment. Mikasa nodded along, moving further still from the vanity. So far, her plan was succeeding. </p><p>The thing about Sasha was, that she had the best instincts of anyone Mikasa had ever met. Maybe it was the hunter in her that made her like that, maybe it just came to her naturally. So she really shouldn’t have been surprised when Sasha leapt across the small space and made a dive for the vanity. “Ha! You can’t hide food from me!”</p><p>Another thing about Sasha was that she believed everyone prioritized food as highly as she did. Mikasa had once seen her bite someone so that they didn’t get the last piece of pizza. Connie still had the scar. Once she’d seen Sasha fight off three burly raccoons over half a pack of hot dogs when they went camping one spring break.</p><p>Her friend ripped the drawers open looking for some kind of hidden treat as Mikasa tried to push her out of the way. Anything, to keep her from seeing the pregnancy tests. But it was too late, Sasha had one in her hand as she rummaged through her drawers. “Hey! There’s no food in here?” </p><p>As remarkable as Sasha’s instincts were, she was also kind of stupid where common sense was concerned. “Of course not!”</p><p>“What were you trying to hide then?” She asked, pointing the pregnancy test at Mikasa, seemingly unaware of what she held in her hand. “You’re acting suspiciously.”</p><p>Mikasa had managed to shut the drawers, the only evidence left of her one night stand was now firmly grasped in Sasha’s hand. She didn’t dare look at the little stick of plastic less she draw attention to it, but at this point, she didn’t see how Sasha wouldn’t notice what it was eventually anyway. She also couldn’t think of a single thing to say or do to distract her. So much for the clear and level head, her boss liked to boast about.</p><p>Sasha’s eyes finally flickered from Mikasa’s face to what was in her hand. “A pregnancy test?” She turned it over to see the two lines indicating positive results and yelped, dropping the test in the process. She looked back up at Mikasa, panic written all over her face, “That’s not mine!”</p><p>Mikasa wished she could say that this was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard Sasha say, but then she’d be a liar. Usually, if you gave her a minute for her brain to catch up, she would. “It’s yours!” She bent to pick up the pregnancy test again, turning it over in her hands. “Does this mean you have a secret boyfriend?”</p><p>Mikasa debated on whether to answer or not for a long moment. The truth would have to come out eventually. “No boyfriend.”</p><p>Sasha’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, “So who’s the father?”</p><p>“I don’t know.” </p><p>“What?! You don’t know who the father is?” Sasha dropped the pregnancy test again and lurched forward toward Mikasa, her eyes and hands raking over her as though she could find some sort of evidence there. “What are you saying? What happened?!”</p><p>Mikasa pried Sasha’s hands from her shoulders and held her back at arm’s length. “I know who he is, I just don’t know who… he is.” She knew her explanation was as clear as mud and Sasha’s reaction only proved it so. </p><p>“What?! I don’t understand! Explain it so I can understand!”</p><p>Mikasa let go of Sasha and backed up to flop down on her bed, all the energy draining from her in a heavy sigh. “You know that private, members-only bar Ymir works at?” Sasha flopped down beside her and nodded her head. “Apparently she won a membership through a giveaway at work and she gave it to me since she already has Historia.” Mikasa didn’t see a need to explain how pathetic Ymir thought her single life was. “Anyway, I went there about a month ago and…” She shrugged.</p><p>“Don’t tell me you had a one night stand!” Mikasa gave a slow nod and avoided eye contact. “What! Why didn’t you use a condom?”</p><p>She’d been wondering the same thing all day. Why hadn’t she insisted on the use of a condom? Why hadn’t he? She had no answer. She’d been so nervous at the time she could barely remember any details at all. </p><p>“Wait!” Sasha suddenly jumped off the bed, “What if it’s a false positive?”</p><p>Mikasa leaned over and pulled open the vanity drawer to reveal the six other positive tests she’d hidden not fifteen minutes before. </p><p>Sasha’s shoulders dropped, “Oh.” she sat heavily back on the bed next to Mikasa. “What are you going to do?”</p><p>“I don’t know.” She hadn’t felt so uncertain about her future since she was a newly orphaned child.</p><p>They sat in silence as the weight of the situation sunk in. Mikasa didn’t know what Sasha was thinking about, but she was thinking that she couldn’t possibly raise a baby in such a small apartment. When she’d first leased the space, she thought it had been perfect. She was young, single, and everything she owned in the world fit just perfectly in this one-room apartment. Just a crib would take up all the floor space she had left. And then she’d have to buy all the other things babies needed like diapers, clothes, toys, bottles. The list was endless and where would she put it all?</p><p>The more she thought about it the tighter her chest felt.</p><p>“So, let’s get you to a clinic,” Sasha said abruptly. Mikasa, still focusing on the laundry list of baby accessories, could only stare at her friend blankly. “To see a baby doctor? I mean, I guess I could deliver it, I’ve delivered calves and goats before, but since you’ve got a few months why not see a professional?”</p><p>Mikasa smacked Sasha on the arm, “Smartass.” She looked over to the calendar she kept above her desk Already looking for a free day to visit a doctor. “Besides, it’s Sunday.”</p><p>“Tomorrow then, after work?”</p><p>She had planned on going to the gym after work tomorrow, but she could just as easily go before work. “I can do that.” Probably she wouldn’t be able to lift weights while she was like this. Could pregnant women exersice? </p><p>“Great! There’s an oncologist in that medical office building across the street from your office-”</p><p>“No!” She raked a hand through her hair to stead her nerves, “I don’t want to chance running into anyone I work with.”</p><p>Sasha nodded, her eyes wide from the sudden outburst. Mikasa knew it wasn’t very characteristic of her, but then again, neither was a one night stand. “Okay, we can do that. There’s plenty all over the city I’m sure.” She wiped out her phone and began typing. “Look, here’s one over by the riverfront.”</p><p>She moved her phone over so Mikasa could see the maps app opened on her phone. The doctor’s office was situated in the middle of a residential area, likely to cater more easily to families. Mikasa glanced down at the little blurb and saw that it was also connected to a private hospital which probably made it easier for the doctors to move between seeing patients and birthing babies. “That’s fine, I’ll call and make an appointment in the morning.”</p><p>“Do you want me to go with you?”</p><p>Mikasa considered it for a moment, “Yes and after we can go to dinner at that cafe you were telling me about last week.” </p><p>“Bliss Cafe and Bakery?” And just like that, Sasha was back to thinking about food. “Oh man, last time I went they had this Ruben and the meat was at least three inches thick on it!”</p><p>The next afternoon found Mikasa and Sasha sitting side by side in a waiting room full of pregnant women in various stages of gestation. It was immediately apparent that Mikasa stood out from the other expectant mothers. Whereas she had Sasha with her, most of the mothers had their partners with them. Instead of the clean and crisp business attire she had worn to work that day and was still dressed in now, these women were dressed in comfortable outfits with fun colors and patterns. There was also a bit of an age difference. Most of the women here seemed older, more settled in their lives. At 25 years old, Mikasa felt like a teenager sitting with the adults. </p><p>Someone took a seat in the chair across from her and Sasha causing Mikasa to glance up briefly and startle. “Armin!” She said just a little too loudly in the quiet waiting room, causing others to look over. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>Armin looked to Sasha which explained how he knew where to find them. Mikasa looked over to Sasha for an explanation. “I invited him, he’s smarter than both of us combined!” She whispered.</p><p>“You told him?” Mikasa didn’t want anyone to know that she was pregnant until she knew what she was going to do. </p><p>“I panicked and he just happened to be there and before I knew it he’d figured it out.” She leaned in closer and dropped her voice down to a whisper. “I think he can read minds!” </p><p>“I can’t read minds,” Armin said in a tone that implied this wasn’t the first time he’d had to say this. Sasha reached over and grabbed her arm, her eyes huge as if this was all the evidence she needed for confirmation. With a shake of his head, Armin turned to Mikasa. “I saw her in the library looking up things about human pregnancy on her laptop and then she started asking very obvious hypothetical questions. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”</p><p>Once again, Mikasa’s own actions were at fault for the situation she was in. As good of a friend as Sasha was, the girl couldn’t keep a secret to save her life. Niccolo and Connie probably knew too and might even be waiting in the parking lot. </p><p>“How are you doing?”</p><p>Mikasa looked away from her well-meaning friends and back to the paperwork. “I’m fine.” </p><p>She could feel his frown even if she refused to see it. Sasha was right, Armin was the smartest person she knew. Right now, he knew that she didn’t want to delve into her feelings on the matter and she appreciated that about him. </p><p>“Can I ask who the father is?” </p><p>“She doesn’t know who he is,” Sasha said in a low voice once it was clear that Mikasa didn’t plan to answer. The shame of her actions that night made her face burn and her stomach turn uncomfortably.</p><p>“Do you know anything about him?” Armin said, pulling out his phone. He was no computer hacker but he was pretty savvy when it came to googling. A skill acquired from years of working on his thesis. </p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“You’re about to have a baby with this guy, you need to find him, right?” </p><p>Mikasa was refusing to look at either of her friends. Of all the things she’d thought about since she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d thought of him least of all. Whoever he was, she didn’t factor him into her future plans, whatever they may be. If she went through with this, she didn’t really want the trouble that her one night stand might potentially bring to an already stressful situation. </p><p>She knew it was selfish of her to want to cut him out. A responsible parent would at the very least notify the other parent that they had a child out in the world. And she didn’t have to decide anything right away, there was time. It might be a good idea to know who he was and how to contact him for whatever she decided in the future.</p><p>“We didn’t talk about a whole lot of identifying information.” She started off slowly, “I think he said most of his job was monitoring?” Honestly, she’d been so nervous in her clumsy attempt at flirting that she’d forgotten most of whatever kind of conversation they had had. She’d also been drinking, not much, but she had never been much of a drinker anyway so any amount was more than she was used to.</p><p>“Maybe he’s a security guard?” Sasha suggested.</p><p>She thought back to all the muscles she’d seen on display once they’d started to shed their clothes. “Maybe, we didn’t spend a lot of time talking about our jobs.”</p><p>“What are some other things that could help identify him?” Armin asked.</p><p>Mikasa remembered thinking how handsome he was, even if he was head and shoulders shorter than all the other men and even some of the women. He’d been strong too, he’d lifted her up at one point and it hadn’t seemed to be a struggle for him. And as for where they’d gone after the bar, it had been a hotel room that he’d rented for them with one specific purpose in mind, so she couldn’t track him to his home address that way.</p><p>“I can’t think of anything.”</p><p>A couple who’d just come through the door walked toward the front desk, one of them bumping against Mikasa’s shoulder as they passed. Mikasa had had her back to the door and hadn’t seen their faces until the woman turned around to apologize.</p><p>For the second time that day, Mikasa was startled to see a face she recognized. “Isabel?” She threw a panicked and accusing look at Sasha who looked the picture of bewildered. Which made sense as Sasha didn’t know Isabel and certinly didn't know that Mikasa knew Isabel.<br/>
She was such a fool, she should have gone to another city entirely for this doctor’s appointment. The next people to walk through that door would be Eren and his girlfriend Annie, hand in hand.</p><p>“Mikasa!” Isabel said with a smile, waving the man who’d come in with her on to the front desk. Mikasa didn’t get much of a look at him before he’d turned his back on her and only noted that he and Isabel were about the same height. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“I have an appointment.” And that was the only answer she was willing to give. </p><p>Normally, Mikasa really liked the girl she had gotten to know over the past month. They worked well together. She just didn’t want to see her here and now of all times and places. What if Isabel brought it up at work in front of her boss when they saw each other again next week? She had no plans to share her condition until after she had decided what to do about the pregnancy. </p><p>Isabel opened her mouth to say more but was interrupted by her companion. “They’re waiting for us?” He said and glanced down at Mikasa.</p><p>A flash of recognition sizzled across her brain. She knew that face. Intimately. Even his voice brought back memories she’d thought she’d forgotten of that night. But it didn’t look like he recognized her and she quickly looked to down hide the majority of her face. </p><p>She was still so woefully unprepared. There hadn’t been any time for her to consider her options much less how he incorporated into her decision. Now was not the time. Why was the universe doing this to her?</p><p>“Well, I’ll see you later,” Isabel said, her body turning away. “Wednesday at the ranch! Hey, we should grab lunch while you’re there.”</p><p>Nodding like a maniac, she threw her hand up to wave goodbye. “Yeah, I’ll see you there.”</p><p>She watched them leave from beneath her eyelashes. Isabel had looped her arm with his and tugged him close until their shoulders touched. Mikasa couldn’t hear what they were saying but whatever it was made Isabel laugh.</p><p>“Hey, what’s wrong?” Armin asked, his voice soft and calming.</p><p>Mikasa closed her eyes shut as tightly as she could once Isabel and that man had disappeared down a hall. “That’s him.” She whispered just loud enough for her two friends to hear her. “He’s the father.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Was that...her?</p><p>Instead of celebrating the birth of his friend’s first child like he should be doing, Levi was standing off to the side and out of the way of any pictures to wonder about the identity of the girl in the waiting room. He’d been trying for the past half-hour to insert himself in the situation around him, but his thoughts inevitably drifted to that girl. What had Isabel called her? It was an uncommon name as far as he knew. And if that girl was the same girl from that night, then he had to somehow subtly bring her up in conversation with Isabel if he wanted to get any kind of identifying information on her. </p><p>Not that he planned to stalk her, it was just, that he had enjoyed her company and wanted to see her again and he didn’t often find people like that. Levi had searched for her at that shitty club for weeks. He’d questioned the staff and asked around the regulars, but no one knew who she was. Levi had all but given up hope of ever finding her again when he stumbled upon her in an OBGYN office of all places.</p><p>That thought gave him pause. Not because it was a strange place to find women for obvious reasons, but because it appeared she was there with other people. Did women often bring friends to gynecological appointments? He wouldn’t imagine so. He considered that maybe she could have been waiting on a family member or friend to deliver a baby, but then he remembered the hospital waiting room he and Isabel had walked passed on the way to Anka and Furlan’s room. Or maybe, she was there in support of a pregnant friend.</p><p>The blonde boy sitting across from her appeared to be with her and the other girl. What was he to her? How did he factor into the reason she was at the OBGYN office? Maybe he was with the other girl. To accompany someone to an appointment like that spoke of some kind of long-term relationship. </p><p>Levi sighed scrubbed a hand across his forehead. This whole thing was giving him a headache. </p><p>“Levi,” A hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to see Furlan holding his newborn son, only hours old. “You alright? You’re frowning harder than usual.”</p><p>“I’m fine.” He said dismissively and forced himself into the moment. “So, how does it feel being a father?”</p><p>“You’re six weeks pregnant.” Dr. Ksaver said, sliding an ultrasound picture to her from across his desk.</p><p>Mikasa reached out to touch the bottom of the glossy, black and white picture. She couldn’t really even make what she was looking at. The ultrasound technician had pointed out that the black blob was the placenta, and that the tiny, vaguely bean shape clinging to an inside wall of the placenta was the fetus. Apparently, it already had a heartbeat. She’d heard it, a quick fluttering sound she never would have guessed to be the sound of a beating heart had she not been told. </p><p>“Will your husband be joining you for your next appointment?” </p><p>When Mikasa looked up, it was to see that the doctor was frowning at her with his head tilted to the side. “Excuse me?” What had he said about a husband?</p><p>“Your husband, will he be coming to the next appointment?” He repeated, with emphasis on her supposed husband.</p><p>Mikasa could only stare at him. She didn’t have a husband. Didn’t he read her chart? Why had she provided all of that family medical history if he was just going to ignore it? Was this his way of judging her for being unmarried and pregnant?</p><p>“We don’t provide abortion services here, Miss Ackerman.” He said, his frown deepening as he clasped his hands together on top of his desk. He gave off the distinct impression of a disappointed principal getting ready to discipline a troublemaker. </p><p>When she continued to stare at him blankly, Dr. Ksaver heaved a deep sigh and opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out several pamphlets. Leafing through them, he selected three and slid them across the desk to her. “Your window to qualify for a legal abortion is closing, so you’ll need to find a clinic that provides that type of service relatively soon.” He tapped the pamphlets on his desk with his index finger sharply. “Though I do urge you to at least consider adoption. You’re a pretty girl, Miss Ackerman, it’d be a shame to -”</p><p>“You’re incredibly rude,” Mikasa said, once shed finally found her voice. She didn’t need to hear the rest of what he had to say. Judging by his age, the way he looked at her, and what he’d said so far, she had a pretty good idea of where his speech was going.</p><p>His face slackened in shock for a brief moment before his brows drew together in anger. He opened his mouth to speak, but Mikasa cut him off again. As far as she was concerned, he was done talking.</p><p>“As a healthcare professional with,” She glanced at the degrees and awards that lined his walls. “Over 30 years of experience, you should know better than to speak to a patient like this. What gave you the impression that abortion was the only option I would consider? Because I don’t have a husband? I’m young? I’m pretty?”</p><p>“I’m afraid you’re misunderstanding-”</p><p>Mikasa stood up, taking only the ultrasound picture with her. “This will be my only visit with you, Dr. Ksaver.” With that said, she turned her back to him and walked out of his office, leaving him to sputtering in his desk chair. </p><p>He had some nerve. To just railroad her like that all because she was single. How many other women had he treated like that? What a disgusting attitude to have for someone who was in the business of bringing new life into the world.</p><p>Of course, abortion was an option she had considered. She was young and single with no close family to fall back on should times turn rough. She had a full-time job and was taking night classes for her masters. Her savings was nowhere near as hefty as she would prefer with a baby on the way. Anyone in her position would be perfectly justified in seeking an abortion. </p><p>Adoption was also a choice she had given thought to over the last 24 hours. There were families all over the world unable to have children of their own. The child growing in her now would be lucky to be adopted into any of those families. She could even ask her mother’s family in Hizuru to adopt the baby so that it would have a connection to its biological family. The Azumabito Clan was large and well connected, the child would never want for anything.</p><p>She’d also considered raising the child herself. That option would be the hardest on her. She’d have to move to a new home with enough room to raise a child. She’d have to buy everything a child would need and the list was endless and ever-changing depending on their age. What kind of maternity leave did her company offer? Did she qualify? If she kept the child and raised it, did she include the father?</p><p>From what she could remember of their night together, he’d been charming, if a bit crude at times. When she’d admitted to him it was her first time, he’d been considerate and taken his time. Did that translate into him being a caring and supportive father? Mikasa had no idea. She didn’t want to risk exposing her child to someone who would bring them nothing but pain and misery. </p><p>Then there was the other matter of Isabel. </p><p>Were they in a relationship? Why would Isabel bring him to an appointment at an OBGYN office if they weren’t? Sasha and Armin had stayed in the waiting room during her appointment, but he had gone with Isabel. Was she pregnant, too? If Mikasa were to tell him about her pregnancy it would cause strife in their relationship for sure. It may even break up their family. If they, in fact, were a family.</p><p>Also, there was the potential of damaging her career. </p><p>She’d come to know Isabel over the last month while the two had been working together. Mikasa had been the go-between for her boss and the Underground Ranch for an upcoming company retreat and Isabel, who was the Ranch Manager, was the one she had worked most closely with. They had started to become friends over the last few weeks and Mikasa would be disappointed to lose that budding relationship. </p><p>There were just so many things to consider before she made her final decision.</p><p>“I think that’s the head,” Sasha said, her finger pointing to the left side of the fetus.</p><p>Armin leaned in, squinting. “How can you tell?”</p><p>“Women’s intuition.” Sasha leaned back in her chair with a smug smirk before taking a loud slurp of the remains of her strawberry milkshake.</p><p>Armin caught Mikasa’s eye and rolled his eyes.</p><p>Mikasa could only muster up a half-hearted smile in return before looking back down to her plate. The light-hearted mood her friends had been trying to cultivate since they walked into the cafe instantly dampened. She knew her friends had noticed her sour mood the instant she’d come back into the waiting room. They’d given her space for the moment, but judging from the look they were sharing between them now, it was time to talk.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what did the doctor have to say?” Armin asked, his big blue eyes the picture of understanding.</p><p>“The doctor was an ass and made assumptions so I called him rude and left.” She pushed around a fry on her plate, wondering why she’d bothered to ordered anything. She didn’t feel hungry and had only managed to eat two bites of her sandwich before giving up.</p><p>“We can find a new doctor,” Sasha said hurriedly, taking out her phone. “There’s plenty of offices in Shiganshina, and if not, we’ll find one in Trost.”</p><p>Mikasa stared at the linoleum tabletop, losing herself in thought as Armin and Sasha searched oncologists in the city and their patient rating. As great as her friends were, she wished she had her mother to lean on right now. She wanted her father’s steadying hand on her shoulder. What would they have had to say about her unexpected pregnancy? Would they have been disappointed in her? The more time that passed, the harder it was for her to remember them. She knew for sure that they would want her to be happy.</p><p>So which choice made her happy?</p><p>“Mikasa?” </p><p>She looked up to see both her friends watching her. “Yes?”</p><p>“Dr. Zoë? She’s highly rated and affiliated with Shiganshina General which is close to both your home and work.” Armin said, “She has two offices, one near the hospital and one about two blocks from your office.”</p><p>It took a moment for her brain to catch up, “Yes, she sounds fine.”</p><p>“Great! I’ll text you the information.” Sasha said and a moment later she could hear her phone vibrate against the house keys in her purse. “So, I gotta go, Niccolo, and I have a date tonight and I still smell like study sweat. Armin said he’d give you a ride home.”</p><p>They said their goodbyes, Armin with a wave and Mikasa with a hug before gathering their own things. They followed Sasha out the door and gave one final wave goodbye when she went left to her car and they went right to where Armin had parked his.</p><p>Mikasa knew Sasha still had another couple of hours before she needed to meet Niccolo, they’d talked about it on the way to the doctor’s office earlier. Armin’s plots weren’t always obvious and when they were it was only because he’d used them numerous times before. At this point in their friendship, it almost felt like he was letting her know he wanted to talk to her about something that was bothering her and giving her time to get in the mindset for that type of conversation. Thinking back, he’d been there that time she’d completely shut down when the school counselor had pulled her to an empty table during lunch to talk about her parent’s death. So he knew she didn’t like to be ambushed.</p><p>Armin was a good friend. Mikasa often wondered if she put as much effort into the relationship.</p><p>“What is it you want to say?” She asked after about five minutes of ridding in the car in silence.</p><p>“I just want you to know I’m here for you, for whatever you need.” He said immediately, like he’d been holding it in and nearly burst with the effort to hold it back.</p><p>“I know,” she reached over to pat his shoulder. “You’ve always been there for me.” And he had been, every time she needed someone, anyone to talk to, he’d been there. He was the most empathetic person she knew. </p><p>“Do you know what you’re going to do yet?” </p><p>Mikasa turned her head to look out the window, “I’ve been doing nothing but thinking through my options. But… I just...can’t - I don’t...know what to do.” It was a mess just trying to think about let alone put into words so she could explain it to another person. Usually, she knew what she wanted out of life and how to get it. This utterly hopeless feeling was alien to her.</p><p>Armin was silent for a moment, “You’ve got time, and you can always change your mind.” </p><p>That’s what she kept telling herself. She knew she had time, but the stress of not knowing where her life was going was making her nauseous. The more she thought about it the sicker she felt. In fact…</p><p>“Pull over,” She was already unbuckling her seatbelt.</p><p>She wrenched her door open as soon as he pulled into a parking lot and started to wretch onto the asphalt. At least one good thing had come out of that upsetting doctor’s appointment. Because she’d been too upset to eat then, now she didn’t have to vomit up an entire sandwich and fries. Not that dry heaving was much better. </p><p>Once her stomach had purged itself of its contents, Mikasa felt the cool wash of relief that came after sickness. Now the question was, had that been morning sickness or anxiety-induced vomiting?</p><p>Armin passed her an unopened bottle of water from his backseat and Mikasa used it to rinse the stomach acid from her mouth. A quick inspection revealed that she’d managed to get all the bile outside of the car and not on her outfit. She closed the door and took small sips from the water bottle less she upset her stomach again.</p><p>“I just have one more question,” Armin said after a moment. </p><p>Mikasa looked to him out of the corner of her eyes. She wasn’t going to verbalize her permission in the hopes that maybe he wouldn’t ask. But this was Armin and he knew her too well.</p><p>“Given the timing,” Mikasa closed her eyes, already knowing where this was going. “Have you been going out to get over -”</p><p>“Stop.” Irrationally, she thought the less said out loud, the easier it would be to deal with. “It was just the once and it’ll never happen again.”</p><p>Armin had known of her crush on Eren almost as soon as she had realized it.</p><p>He watched her for a long moment, “Are you going to tell him about the pregnancy?”</p><p>The thought of telling him she was pregnant with a random, and possibly married, man’s baby filled her with dread. He’d be disgusted with her and a tiny part of her heart feared he’d never love her if he knew what she’d done no matter what choice she made in the end.</p><p>Armin opened his mouth to speak again, and again, she cut him off. It was becoming a bad habit of hers. “I know.” He’d already told her before not to live her life waiting on Eren to fall in love with her. It was with that mindset she’d gone to the bar that night. “I’m trying.”</p><p>Mikasa leaned across the console and pulled Armin into a hug. “Don’t stop reminding me, promise?” </p><p>Armin squeezed her as tightly as he could from their position. “I promise.”</p><p>Once they were back on the road, Mikasa finally answered his question. “I’ll tell him when we go over to his house this weekend. Can you make sure it’s just us? I don’t want anyone else to know yet.” And she might lose her nerve if anyone else showed up, namely Annie.</p><p>A week later found Mikasa sitting on a stool in the kitchen of the house she’d practically grown up in. Armin was sat next to her while Eren stood next to the stove, an oven mitt on each hand and complaining about his co-worker Jean. Every once in a while, both of his covered hands would end up on his hips giving him such a comical resemblance to his late mother that Mikasa and Armin were having trouble holding their laughter in.</p><p>“I swear, that jackass goes home and spends all night coming up with new ways to piss me off!” He said just as the timer on the oven went off. Putting a hold on his ranting, Eren turned, shutting off the timer and oven before pulling the pizza out. “I bet Jean eats pineapple on his pizza.” He muttered savagely under his breath.</p><p>That did it for Armin and a chuckle bubbled up and out of his throat. Eren threw a glare over his shoulder. “You don’t know Jean like I do. It was like he was grown in a lab with the sole purpose of fucking with me.”</p><p>“Eren, you’re the only person I know with a nemesis.” </p><p>Mikasa nudged her shoulder against Armin’s good-naturedly, a small grin playing on her lips. “Well, besides Jean who declared Eren his nemesis three weeks into freshman year.” Armin shared her grin. </p><p>Eren grunted as he sliced through the hot pizza with a rolling blade. “Of all the shitty roommates I could have gotten my first year of college, it had to be him.”</p><p>Eren plated pizza for the three of them and moved to the fridge as she and Armin got up to grab their pizza. “By the way, Annie’s coming over later and offered to pick up dinner. So since we’re having pizza now, I was thinking something from that new Marleyian place on 5th?”</p><p>The light and burden-free feeling she’d been enjoying since she had arrived vanished in a hot flash that made her feel queasy. She shot a look to Armin who was shaking his head and raising his shoulders to convey he hadn’t known about it. </p><p>“I thought Annie had to work this weekend?”</p><p>Eren stood up, leaning over the door to the fridge with an open jar in one hand and a green olive in the other. “She did, but the guy who was suing the company died in a car crash or something so the legal team just has to wrap up all the paperwork, and then they’re done.” </p><p>Armin was staring at Eren with his eyes squinted together. “That's… suspicious.”</p><p>Eren popped the olive in his mouth, “It’s lucky is what it is. Annie said the guy was probably going to win the case and had refused to settle.”</p><p>“Eren - “</p><p>“I can’t stay that long,” Armin could talk about Eren’s company’s questionable business practice’s later, “I have a test I need to study for this weekend. So I’m just going to hang out for a couple of hours before heading home.” Mikasa said. She was going to tell Eren today. If she didn’t do it now then she’d never tell him and he’d have to figure it out on his own. </p><p>Eren booed at her and finally put his jar of olives away. “I don’t know why you’re going for your masters when a bachelors is really all you need.” He stuck his head back in the fridge. </p><p>Mikasa didn’t answer, it was a conversation they’d had before. She set her plate down on the counter, a gnarly tangle of nerves twisting in her stomach and starting to climb up her throat. This was it, she had to tell him now. </p><p>“Eren, I -“</p><p>“Hey, do you want a beer?” </p><p>Mikasa stared at him, derailed from what she’d been building up. “No.”</p><p>“Armin?”</p><p>Armin was looking between them. “Uh, n-no thanks.”</p><p>Eren shut the door to the fridge and opened a beer for himself before taking a drink. </p><p>“So, Armin already knows but,” the words got stuck in her throat. She looked to Armin for help getting the words out. </p><p>“Well, you see Mikasa…” </p><p>He didn’t appear to be having any better luck with delivering the news than she did. Immediately, she felt guilty. It was her responsibility and here she was trying to get Armin to do it for her. She had to tell him fast, it would be like ripping a bandaid off, quick and clean</p><p>“I’m pregnant.”</p><p>The kitchen was silent for a long moment as she and Eren stared at each other. This was the first time she’d said the words out loud. While the weight of delivering the news had lifted off her shoulders, her nerves felt raw as she waited for Eren’s reaction. </p><p>“Liar.” He snorted and took another drink of his beer. “I know you’re a virgin. You’ve never even been on a date.”</p><p>His words hurt. She’d never lied to him before so why did he think she was lying now? And did he have to be so dismissive of her recently gone virginity? He’d ribbed her lightly about it before, but now it felt…</p><p>“I’m almost at 7 weeks..”</p><p>Eren glared at her. It had been so long since he’d done so she’d forgotten how intense his eyes could be when he was mad. It made her want to squirm, but she held still.</p><p>“Is this a joke?”</p><p>“No.” </p><p>Eren finally broke eye contact with her and turned his glare to the tiled floor of his kitchen. He set his beer down and crossed his arms over his chest before jerking away from the counter and raking both hands through his hair. “What- What happened?”</p><p>Mikasa glanced at Armin who gave her an encouraging smile. “It was a one-night stand.”</p><p>The incredulous and angry way he looked at her reminded her of the look his dad had given him all the times he’d gotten in trouble for some stupid exploit when they were kids. “Do you even know who he is?!”</p><p>She didn’t flinch at his outburst, he was always yelling about something. But this was the first time this level of anger had been directed at her. She couldn’t remember his name though she was sure they’d exchanged them. “I know how to get in contact with him.” </p><p>Mikasa had managed to put off seeing Isabel this past week claiming that her boss had her busy on another project and rescheduled their meeting for the following Monday. She was dreading it so much she could feel her joints lock up just thinking about it. Still, if or when she needed to contact the father, she had a line through Isabel.</p><p>“How did this happen?!” </p><p>Mikasa didn’t know how to answer that constructively and suspected the smartass answer on the tip of her tongue would only escalate the matter.</p><p>Eren slammed his fist down on the counter causing Armin to flinch. “Well get in contact with him, better yet, give me his number.” He turned his back on her and Armin and took a long swig of his beer before nearly slamming it back onto the counter. “I’ll beat the shit out of him.”</p><p>“I’m not giving you his number.” They were getting off track.</p><p>“Why not!?” He turned back around. “He at the very least needs to pay for half so you can get this taken care of. I’m not going to let this shithead go and get you pregnant and not face any consequences.”</p><p>Mikasa felt her stomach drop even as steel crawled up her spine. This was it, she was making her choice. Not based on any kind of rational reasoning but on instinct. </p><p>“I’m keeping it.”</p><p>As soon as the words were out of her mouth she realized that she was always going to have chosen to keep the child.</p><p>Mikasa had grown up idolizing her mother and Aunt Carla, wanting to be just like them. She wanted to be a mother in her own right one day and maybe this was her only chance. Eren was right, she’d never been on a date. Part of her had been holding out for him, but the other part of her didn’t want to waste the time and effort dating entailed. It was probably the worst way to go about it, but this was the path she was on now and she wasn’t going to change her mind.</p><p>“What?! Don’t be stupid! No, you’re not.”</p><p>Armin jumped up from his stool and moved to stand between them. “Eren, I think maybe we should all-”</p><p>“I’m keeping it.” She repeated her voice steady. Her future family felt more solid by the minute, it would be small, but it was her’s. “I didn’t come here and tell you so you could beat the father up for me, or - or to ask for your approval, or so you could tell me how to fix it.” She paused to calm herself as that tangle of emotions she couldn’t identify welled up in her chest. “I just needed my friends.”</p><p>Eren seemed to deflate with a long sigh, his shoulders slumping. He continued to stare for a moment longer before he finally moved around the island and Armin to stand in front of her. “Of course I’m going to support you.” He said petulantly and pulled her into a hug. Mikasa wrapped her arms around his torso just a moment before she felt Armin hugging her from her side. “I just worry sometimes you’ll get taken advantage of.”</p><p>“I’m not stupid, Eren, I know what to look out for.” She mumbled into his shoulder. “And I know it’ll be hard.”</p><p>“Well, if anyone could do it, it would be you,” he muttered, his chin digging into the top of her head as he spoke.</p><p>They all pulled back and Eren started staring at her still flat stomach. She cut a glance at Armin to see if he was seeing the same thing she was. Armin was staring at Eren with his eyes squinted. “You know, I won’t start showing for a few more months.” Or so the internet said.</p><p>“It’s not that,” He said, a grin creeping up one side of his face. “It’s just, Jean’s going to be so mad.”</p><p>Mikasa rolled her eyes. Jean opened doors for her and offered to carry her books in college and to Eren that meant he wanted to date her.</p><p>“So I’m the godfather, right?” He asked, moving back to where he’d left his pizza and beer.</p><p>“I’m more responsible, Mikasa’s going to choose me,” Armin said with a wide grin thrown at Mikasa.</p><p>Eren snorted and picked up his pizza, “I’m totally responsible all the time.”</p><p>The mood lightened once more, Mikasa chuckled, “We had to take you to the emergency room last winter because you got a mento stuck up your nose.”</p><p>In a moment of unfortunate timing on Eren’s part, he shoved half the pizza in his mouth in one bite only to choke when he attempted to argue with her. Mikasa rushed around the island to thump him on the back a few times until he’d managed to dislodge the food from his throat. “It wasn’t that simple and you know it!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, your due date is December 30th which puts you at 8 weeks and makes the date of conception right between the first and second week of April,” Dr. Zoë said, thumbing through her medical charts. </p><p>Mikasa was pretty sure the date of conception was April 6th, but maybe it had been in the first few hours of April 7th. According to the internet, sperm could swim around in the uterus for up to five days. She didn’t know how she felt about that. Any future interactions with a man would need to involve a condom though she doubted that would be anytime soon. Anyway, no one would want to have sex with a woman pregnant with another man’s child, would they?</p><p>“Have you started taking prenatal vitamins yet?”</p><p>Mikasa shook her head no. So far this appointment was going leaps and bounds better than the appointment she’d had with Dr. Ksaver who she hadn’t seen until the end of that awful first appointment. Dr. Zoë had given her a pelvic exam and had been there when she’d had her ultrasound, pointing out various aspects of the fetus on the screen and answering questions the whole time. Had she stayed with Ksaver, Mikasa suspected he might have delegated her labor and delivery to some nurse practitioner she’d never met. </p><p>“You should start those quickly, growing a person requires double the amount of vitamins and minerals.” Dr. Zoë looked up at her for a moment. Mikasa couldn’t tell if she naturally had large eyes or if the prescription of her glasses made it seem so. Paired with her wide smile and the lab coat, she almost gave off the impression of a mad scientist. </p><p>“You’re suspiciously healthy, so barring anything weird in your bloodwork I don’t see a reason over the counter prenatal vitamins won’t work for you.”</p><p>Mikasa narrowed her eyes at the other woman, “Suspiciously?” She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been considered to be too healthy.</p><p>Dr. Zoë waved her hand as her wide smile wrapped around her face. “It’s not a bad thing, just interesting. Those well-muscled thighs of yours will come in handy when it’s time to deliver.”</p><p>Her thighs? Mikasa didn’t know how to respond to that and so moved past it. “Is it alright for me to continue to go to the gym during pregnancy?”</p><p>“Not only is it okay, but it’s also encouraged!” She said, “Minimize any weight training though, if you’re straining, it’s too much. I would encourage you to add yoga to your routine if you haven’t already. The bigger your belly gets, the more creative you’ll need to be for when you drop things on the ground.”</p><p>That made sense. Mikasa made a mental note to check if her gym offered any yoga classes. She knew they boasted a pretty intense self-defense class that she’d been interested in for a while, but that would have to go on the back burner for now. </p><p>“Also, it’s great for sex! Which is also encouraged during pregnancy.” Dr. Zoë said with that too wide smile of hers. “Hormones tend to surge during pregnancy which can make a mother-to-be extra lusty,” She held out her hand to Mikasa as a prime example. “There are other benefits such as better sleep, low blood pressure, and the release of hormones that can elevate your mood and temper pregnancy-related aches.”</p><p>Mikasa had no plans to touch a man again for a very long time, surging lusty hormones be damned. </p><p>“But masturbation works just as well,” She said slowly after a moment of watching Mikasa, her eyebrows raised high and the corners of her mouth dipping down into a frown. </p><p>Dr. Zoë looked back down to her chart, “I see you didn’t fill out any information on the father, is he not in the picture?”</p><p>Mikasa shifted in her chair slightly, “No, is that going to be a problem?” Was it really such a big deal?</p><p>Dr. Zoë looked up and offered a smile that was more subdued than the ones Mikasa had seen on her so far, “Not at all, there’s plenty of mothers who come through my office without partners. However, if you need to talk, I’m also a registered psychologist.” She said, pointing to the degrees that lined the wall behind her desk.</p><p>Medical school was no joke, but to have doctorates in two different fields was amazing. “That’s ambitious.”</p><p>Dr. Zoë’s lips twisted into an amused grin as leaned back to look at the plaques over her shoulder, “You think so? Anyway, it helps me connect with my patients better.” She turned back to face Mikasa. “Do you have any more questions?”</p><p>Mikasa racked her brain trying to think of anything that hadn’t already been covered. Dr. Zoë had been very thorough in her explanations of what Mikasa could expect during this pregnancy. She’d covered everything from foods and activities to avoid, to things to look out for that could be a symptom of a larger problem. “I think that’s all.”</p><p>“Great!” She said with a clap of her hands, “I’ll see you back here in a month for your next appointment.”</p><p>Later that week found Mikasa seated in the office of Isabel Magnolia, Ranch Manager for The Underground Ranch. She’d been in the office a handful of times over the last few weeks but this was the first time since she’d seen Isabel and that man together at the OBGYN office. Countless questions about the nature of their relationship had plagued her since that day in the waiting room. </p><p>Mikasa had spent all last night devising dozens of strategies to weasel information out of Isabel instead of getting the sleep she needed. In fact, she was just realizing, that was how she’d spent all her nights since she’d found out she was pregnant. If she wasn’t worrying over the effect of her pregnancy on the relationships she had with her friends and family, she was preparing list after list of things she needed to do or buy before the baby arrived. That needed to change. People couldn’t function on so little sleep and she had so much to do already without the baby factoring in. </p><p>Such as the impending merger she’d been informed of in secret by her boss just the day before. </p><p>Mike had pulled her into his office first thing yesterday morning to tell her that she was now fully in charge of planning the retreat. The CEO, Erwin Smith, had decided Mike would be one of the ones running point on the merger. Oh, and also, the 300 plus employees of the merging company would be coming to the retreat at the ranch with them. With that, he handed over all the planning materials, told her she needed to adjust the budget and event timetables accordingly, and shooed her out the door. </p><p>She’d spent the entire day reworking the budget, which had thankfully increased in accordance with the guest count. By the end of the day, she presented the new timetable and budget to Mike who approved it before sending her home saying she looked a bit pale. Mikasa made it to the lobby restrooms before vomiting up her lunch. </p><p>While exhausted and jittery from the potential fallout of letting it slip that she was pregnant with The child of Isabel’s husband, at least she didn’t feel about of morning sickness coming on.</p><p>“Morning, Big Sis!” Isabel said with a smile as she came into her office with a mug of coffee, “I didn’t expect you so early, can I get you some coffee or a danish? Someone brought the good pastries in and I’ve already had three!” </p><p>Mikasa had once commented a few weeks back about how impressive she thought Isabel was, taking into account her age and position at the ranch. That was when she learned that the girl she had thought younger than her was in fact four years older. Isabel had thought it hilarious and started calling her Big Sis when it was just the two of them. </p><p>“No, thank you.” She said, “I wanted to see you first thing this morning to discuss about changes to the retreat we’ve been planning.”</p><p>Isabel made a face as she stirred sugar and creamer into her coffee. “That doesn’t sound promising, what kind of changes are we talking about?”</p><p>“The size of our party, mostly.” Mikasa reached down to her briefcase and pulled out a file opening it and finding the number she’d written yesterday. “The new total of guests we hope to bring is 579. I know the owners were reluctant to rent the whole ranch to us for the four days we planned on being here, but we are willing to pay an extra fee to ensure them of our commitment to the event being held at this property.” </p><p>Mikasa took out a small piece of paper that she had paper clipped to the inside of the folder and slid it across the desk to Isabel. It all felt so clandestine. But this was exactly how Galger and Lynne had told her to handle this portion of the meeting. If Isabel laughed her out of her office, Mikasa planned to wring the necks of both of her co-workers. </p><p>Isabel raised her eyebrows as she looked over the number Mikasa had presented her. The smirk tugging at the corner of her lips told Mikasa she was amused, with the number or the act, she’d soon find out. “Both of the owners are out in the stables. Give me a minute to talk it over with them and then I’ll be right back.” She stood up, piece of paper in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”</p><p>“I’m fine.”</p><p>It wasn’t fifteen minutes later that both of the owners were in Isabel’s office shaking her hand and offering her pastries. It was another twenty minutes before Isabel managed to kick them out so she and Mikasa could hammer out the lodging accommodations for the retreat. </p><p>“So, I was surprised to see you at the doctor’s the other day,” Isabel said, a sly look on her face when Mikasa raised her head to stare at her blankly. </p><p>She’d spent the past half hour, as their meeting wound to a close, trying to think of a way to bring up their surprise run-in, and here Isabel brought it up, casual as can be. “Yeah,” she said after an awkwardly long moment. “I didn’t think you traveled into the city often.”</p><p>“Oh I don’t, one of my friends just had a baby so I went to visit him, his wife, and the new baby in the hospital.”</p><p>Was the father of her baby the friend with the wife and newborn?</p><p>“Congratulations to your friend,” Mikasa said and looked back down to her notes. “Was he the one you were with in the waiting room?” It felt like her rapidly increasing heartbeat was visible through her blouse like some kind of cartoon.</p><p>Isabel snorted causing Mikasa to look back up at her again. She had a goofy kind of smile on her face and was leaning back in her chair. “No, that was our friend Levi, Furlan is the proud father. We’ve all been friends since we were kids.” Isabel’s smile took a mischievous turn. “You know, he asked about you too.”</p><p>Mikasa felt her brain short circuit. Why was he asking about her? Did he forget her name too? But she knew his name now, f he was asking about her did that mean Isabel told him her name? Did he tell Isabel what they’d done? Had he guessed why she was there? Should she expect him to show up on her doorstep, or worse, her office? Mikasa could think of no worse situation than the father of her child showing up in her place of work to confront her about the child they’d made from a one-night-stand.</p><p>“Okay.” She said, feeling her cheeks heat up. Had she always been an idiot? She didn’t think so but maybe she was overdue for being stupid and it was all happening at once rather than being spread out over a lifetime like it was for most people.</p><p>Isabel chuckled and leaned across the table they were sat at in the corner of her office. “I kind of got the impression he would be interested in talking to you,” Somehow, Mikasa felt hot and cold at the same time. Was it pregnancy, or was it anxiety? “Would that be something you’re interested in?”</p><p>“Work and school are keeping me so busy, I don’t think I’d have much time to devote to a relationship right now.” It was a reasonable argument, one she’d used before when friends tried to set her up. </p><p>“Aww, I really wanted to set you two up. Just think of the cute babies you could make if it worked out.”</p><p>Mikasa outright refused eye contact this time, the tip of her tongue clenched firmly between her teeth. If Isabel wanted to see how cute a child of theirs would be she didn’t have to set them up on a date, she just had to wait a few months. </p><p>“Wait, you’re not already in a relationship, are you?”</p><p>“No, I’m just not interested.” And she wasn’t for a thousand different reasons, none of which she planned to explain. It seemed every time she did explain her perfectly logical reasons for not wanting to date, her friends managed to tear it apart. Being single was a perfectly fine way of life. And if she was still waiting on Eren to recuperate her feelings, well that was no one’s business but her own.</p><p>She could feel Isabel staring at her, so Mikasa stared at the projected catering costs that much harder. “Is it because he’s short?”</p><p>“I didn’t notice how tall he was.” She did notice and if it had bothered her then she wouldn’t be in the situation she was in now. </p><p>“It’s not a big deal though, right? Besides, he goes to the gym every day so he’s super ripped.”</p><p>Mikasa remembered. Sometimes the memory of running her fingers along his muscles would pop into her mind at the strangest of times. Such as during a test that counted for 25% of her final grade, or on her morning bus commute. Most often it happened while she was folding laundry.</p><p>She expected Isabel to fire off another appealing fact that would have Mikasa consider asking for his number. Instead, she got quiet. Silence wasn’t a trait she’d usually associate with the other woman. In fact, Isabel was one of the chattiest people she knew. The growing quiet between them now was starting to make Mikasa feel uneasy. She needed to make her exit now. </p><p>“I think that’s all we can do today. I need to talk to my boss about a few of the bonding activities we have planned and to some of the speakers we’re inviting.” She said as she began packing all the papers and files back into her briefcase. That feeling in her gut was back. She was going to be sick. “I’ll call you Monday and we can schedule a meeting to finalize some of the numbers.”</p><p>Isabel stood with her when she made to leave, “Let me walk you out.”</p><p>“You don’t have to,” Mikasa tried to insist. </p><p>There was a glint of something in Isabel’s eye that set her teeth on edge. “Nonsense, it’s such a beautiful day out and I could use some fresh air.”</p><p>Now she knew something was up. It was miserable outside and had been for the last month. The humidity was so thick that every time she stepped outside she was instantly covered in a layer of sweat. </p><p>The second they stepped outside onto the gravel parking lot, Mikasa felt the bile rise in her throat. She swallowed hard, willing her stomach to settle just long enough to get out of sight. Isabel hadn’t asked about why she had been at an OBGYN’s office with friends and Mikasa didn’t want to give her reason to. </p><p>“So, I was thinking of coming to the city this weekend to hang out. But everyone I know in the city has work or a new baby.” Mikasa concentration was at an all-time low. She could barely breathe in the swampy air and Isabel’s chatter was pricking at her mood in a bad way. </p><p>“Would you want to hang out? I’m really open to doing anything. We could go see a movie, go to a fancy restaurant, go out dancing-“</p><p>Ten feet from the company car she’d borrowed for the trip out to the ranch, Mikasa threw her arm out to block Isabel’s advance and promptly threw up. She was grateful when she felt Isabel take her briefcase from her and was able to pull her hair back though she was almost positive it had vomit in it. It wasn’t just in her hair either, she had felt some splash up her legs. </p><p>Once she was done, she allowed Isabel to lead her back into the main offices to help her get cleaned up. She knew it was nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone threw up at some point in their lives. Especially women who were pregnant like she was, they’d even coined a term for it; morning sickness. And yet, Mikasa had rarely felt so embarrassed. </p><p>Isabel, sensing her mood, had ensured her a dozen times that it was fine and an easy clean. She’d told the receptionist to pour a pitcher full of water on the bile to wash it away as soon as they’d come back inside. </p><p>It was as they were in the ladies room with Mikasa scrubbing the spots of stomach acid off her skirt, that Isabel finally asked the one question Mikasa had hoped she wouldn’t. </p><p>“So, you’re pregnant, right?”</p><p>Mikasa paused in her scrubbing, her eyes on another spot but unable to move to clean it or respond to Isabel’s question. Armin had once told her that while many people exhibited a fight or flight response, some people would freeze. Was that what was happening to her? She’d always thought of herself as a fighter, though she couldn’t see herself throwing a punch to get out of this conversation.</p><p>“I mean, that guy and girl were with you at the doctor’s office. I didn’t really think much of it at the time, but who takes their friends with them to a Pap smear? And then you threw up in the parking lot. That was morning sickness, wasn’t it?”</p><p>Isabel was leaning against the partially tiled wall of the single-occupant restroom. Whereas she had been looking off into space as she laid out the facts she’d observed, now she was staring at Mikasa, still bent double in front of the sink, waiting for an answer. It was the most serious face Mikasa had ever seen her don.</p><p>She didn’t owe her an answer. It wasn’t any of Isabel’s business whether she was pregnant or not. Normally, she wouldn’t feel bad about holding back personal information. But she liked Isabel and she did want to hang out with her this weekend. As Eren brought Annie around more and more, Mikasa felt herself wanting to pull away. It was terrible of her, she knew, but she’d decided that she was willing to live with that about herself. </p><p>Also, she might get a better grasp on who the father of her child was through Isabel. If he actually was a good man then maybe she would be able to gather the courage to tell him about the child he had on the way. If not, then at least she’d still have Isabel as a friend. </p><p>For now…</p><p>“I haven’t told my boss yet, so can you keep this a secret for now?” It wasn’t exactly a lie, she hadn’t told Mike yet. She just didn’t want Isabel to run off and tell her friend Levi that she was pregnant. He was there that night, he knew they hadn’t used a condom. She wasn’t prepared for that conversation with him yet should he figure it out when she was still getting used to the idea of it herself. </p><p>“Sure, but I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend?”</p><p>Mikasa went back to scrubbing at the splatters of vomit on her skirt. “I don’t,”</p><p>“You’re married?” </p><p>She decided her silence was enough of an answer and so did Isabel. “Wait, so who’s the father? Did you have a friends-with-benefits thing going on with that blonde guy?”</p><p>“No, Armin’s just a friend.” Satisfied that she cleaned all the mess from her hair, legs, and skirt, she tossed the damp paper towel away and turned to face her friend. “It was a one night stand and I haven’t told him yet either.” If she ever told him. </p><p>“We are totally hanging out this weekend, no excuses,” She said when Mikasa opened her mouth. “You’ve got to tell me everything going on and I have a feeling it’s going to take more time than either of us have today.”</p><p>Maybe an outside that was also an inside perspective might help. And it wasn’t like she planned on sharing the identity of the father with Isabel, so what was the harm?</p><p>
  <em> Dear Grisha, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I hope you are doing well since we last spoke. I’m happy to hear that you and Zeke are talking, I know it must have been hard to reconnect with him. From what you’ve told me, I think he and Eren would get along well and I hope to meet him myself one day. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’ve been doing well. At work, I’ve been handed the responsibility of planning our company retreat. I’m nervous about making any mistakes my boss wouldn’t have made, but confident that I will do well on the project.  </em>
</p><p>Mikasa hit the backspace on her keyboard until the last paragraph she’d written had disappeared from the screen. She wasn’t writing to tell him about work.</p><p>
  <em> I have some news of my own to share. I’d rather tell you in person but I don’t want to intrude on the time you’re spending with Zeke and your parents. I've recently found out I’m pregnant and due in December.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> After careful consideration, I’ve decided to keep the baby. I realize that raising a child is an incredible responsibility and I’m prepared to bear it. You are a man I’ve greatly respected since I was a child and I would greatly appreciate your support moving forward.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Sincerely, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Mikasa </em>
</p><p>Mikasa squinted at the screen of her computer. It almost read like a work email. She reread the short message over twice more before deciding that was as good as it was going to get and hit send. </p><p>With that done, there was only one thing left for her to do before she went home for the day. She’d spent her lunch break going over the employee handbook and what the company’s maternity leave entailed. As it turned out, she was entitled up to 8 weeks of paid maternity leave with an extra three weeks after that of unpaid leave. </p><p>Mikasa knocked on the closed door of Mike’s office. The part of her that hoped he had already left for the day warred with the part of her that wanted to get it all over with. It was a dreadful feeling when Mikasa had always thought herself to be decisive in her actions. This uncertainty that had come along with the pregnancy was something she wholly loathed.</p><p>“Come in,” Mikasa heard him call through the door. </p><p>She stepped in, noting that she must have just caught him before he went home. “Do you have a minute before you leave, sir?”</p><p>Mike glanced up from where he was sliding a stack of files into his briefcase and offered her a smile. “I’ve got a minute, what can I do for you?”</p><p>Mikasa straightened her spine, her shoulders back and her chin level. She almost felt like she was stood before a firing squad despite Mike being the best boss she’d ever had. “I just wanted you to be aware that I’m pregnant. I’m due at the end of December upon which time I’ll be taking the 8 weeks of maternity leave the company offers to new mothers.”</p><p>Mike had frozen momentarily when she’d first made her announcement only for his previous smile to slowly creep across his face once more. “Congratulations, Mikasa,” He snapped his briefcase closed. “I’ll make a note of it in my calendar, but be sure to send an email to HR and let them know.”</p><p>“I will, sir.” It was already written and saved in the drafts folder of her email. She just wanted to tell Mike first. Probably he wouldn’t care if he knew minutes before she told someone else int he company, but it mattered to her.</p><p>“Now, I better not see you carrying those printer paper boxes up from storage anymore. And if you need any kind of lifting done while planning the retreat please feel recruit one of the others.” He walked from around his desk and clapped his hand on her shoulder. “I’m really happy for you. Let me know if you need anything.”</p><p>“I will, sir, thank you.” Mike was a good boss. </p><p>“Goodnight, Mikasa, don’t work too late.” He said as they walked out of his office together and into the hallway. </p><p>“I won’t, goodnight.”</p><p>There was just one last person to tell, or rather one last group of people to tell and she couldn’t do it in an email. She had planned to fly to Hizuru in September, but maybe she should push the date up. She would call Kiyomi tonight and see about pushing the visit up to the long weekend coming up at the end of next month. The sooner she told them she was pregnant the better. </p><p>Mikasa was gathering her own things at her desk to take home when her phone rang. The number that showed up on the caller ID was the number of Ere’s grandparents in Marley. Grisha must have read her email. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it had only been about 20 minutes since she’d sent it. </p><p>The same feeling her responsibilities and her want to avoid the topic entirely split within her. She didn’t want Grisha to reject and scorn her for the pregnancy. He’d nearly raised her since the death of her parents.</p><p>Mikasa slide her thumb across the screen of her phone and brought it to her ear, “Hello?”</p><p>“Mikasa, I just read your email. How are you doing?” </p><p>Mikasa closed her eyes, transported back to that awful day her parents had died. <em> “Mikasa, I got here as soon as I’d heard. How are you doing?” </em>  Hot tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. He didn’t hate her, and she knew like she knew the sky was blue and the grass was green, that even if he was disappointed in her choices, he’d stand by her just as he’d always done.</p><p>“I’m doing fine, I’m really glad you called.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mikasa sat at a table in a quiet corner of the cafe she and Isabel had decided to meet at with her steaming cup of tea and a small breakfast sandwich. She hadn’t had much of an appetite lately and what with her having morning sickness virtually every day, she was even less inclined to eat. The internet said it was natural to experience morning sickness in the first trimester and that some women even experienced it their entire pregnancy. Unfortunately, she didn’t appear to be one of the lucky few who managed to skip the symptom entirely. </p><p>Isabel had sent her a text as she was getting on the bus saying she’d gotten stuck in traffic and would be a little late. Mikasa planned to take the time to look through advertisements for houses and apartments on her tablet. She had started looking through listings sometime early this morning when her least favorite pregnancy symptom reared its nauseating head once more. So far she’d sent emails to three prospective places but hadn’t yet heard back. </p><p>There were so many more factors to take into consideration when looking for a new home with a baby on the way. Wherever she moved next would be her residence for years to come. If she chose a house it would need a yard, if she chose an apartment it would need to be within reasonable walking distance of a park. How close was her new residence to her work? What were the bus routes like? Are there any daycares nearby? Are they good daycares? What school would her child be zoned for? What are the crime rates of the neighborhood? Did she want to rent or buy? </p><p>The whole task was daunting. </p><p>Mikasa sent off a quick message to a broker about a condo not far from her current apartment just as a shadow fell over her table. Looking up, she saw Jean standing next to her table, a to-go coffee cup in his hand.</p><p>“Hey, Mikasa,” He said, his mouth twisting into a shy grin.</p><p>“Good morning, Jean,” She offered him a small smile of her own. </p><p>Usually, when she saw Jean, it was because he was with one of their other friends. It wasn’t often that it was just the two of them. Thinking back, they’d had maybe one or two classes together in college where it was just the two of them. He’d been awkward and bumbling during their first year of college, but he’d grown out of it sometimes over their first summer break. Sometimes, though, when it was just the two of them, he’d revert back to that red-faced boy she’d first met.</p><p>“I - uh - I didn’t know you came to this coffee shop.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and back again. </p><p>“I don’t usually, but I’m meeting a friend here.” She didn’t really enjoy coffee, preferring tea, and usually, she just made it herself at home with her electric kettle.</p><p>“Oh,” He seemed almost put out and began picking at the lid of his to-go cup, “well then, I’ll - uh - I’ll see you later. You’re still going to the opening of Niccolo’s restaurant, right?”</p><p>Niccolo had been hired as the head chef of a new restaurant downtown and as his friends, he’d invited them all to the opening night. Unfortunately, some of them couldn’t make it, and by some she meant Eren. Apparently, he and Annie had some kind of romantic weekend away planned. Just the thought of them together turned Mikasa’s stomach sour.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m still going, what about you?”</p><p>Jean seemed to brighten at that. “I’ll be there, do you need a ride?”</p><p>One day soon, she’d have to finally buy a car. She couldn’t be bumming rides from her friends to parent-teacher conferences. </p><p>“Mikasa!” Both she and Jean turned to where Isabel was walking across the cafe toward them. “Sorry I’m late,” She set her jacket and purse on the back of the chair opposite Mikasa before turning to Jean, “Can I get a hot chocolate and a croissant?”</p><p>Jean blinked at her, “I’m not a waiter!” He snapped looking almost as offended as the time Connie had suggested that the reason he and Eren were so antagonistic toward each other was that they were secretly in love.</p><p>“Isabel, this is a friend of mine, Jean.” She introduced, “Jean, this is Isabel, the friend I was waiting on.”</p><p>“Oh crap, I’m so sorry!” Isabel’s ears turned pink as she scratched the back of her neck bashfully. “Well, it was nice to meet you, I’m going to place my order with someone who works here.” She turned abruptly and walked across the room to where a barista waited behind the display case of freshly baked pastries and desserts.</p><p>“Well, um, let me know if you need a ride to the restaurant,” Jean’s cheeks were pink and he was staring intently at his shoes.</p><p>She and Armin had already made plans to ride together, “I’ll see you later,”</p><p>He gave her a jerky wave as he backed up, “Bye, Mikasa.” And then he was through the door to the cafe and walking down the street. He was such a strange guy sometimes, which she thought explained why he, Connie, and Sasha were so close. Birds of a feather.</p><p>Isabel sat down at Mikasa’s quiet corner table a moment later with her croissant and a truly giant cup of hot chocolate with a mountain of whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Mikasa was feeling light-headed from a second-hand sugar high just looking at it. </p><p>“Sorry about that,” She said, swiping a finger through the whipped cream and then licking it off, “About the traffic and your friend, he totally looked like he was taking your order.”</p><p>Isabel sat back in her seat, a sly grin stretching across her face with a hint of whipped cream on her bottom lip. “So is he the father?”</p><p>What?</p><p>Mikasa couldn’t picture a reality where she and Jean would ever be together. He was a decent friend, but she’d never pictured him in a romantic role. “No, he’s just a friend.” A friend of a friend really. </p><p>Isabel hummed and took a sip of her hot chocolate. “So, tell me everything.”</p><p>“There’s really not that much to tell,” She hedged. Mikasa didn’t want to admit that she’d gone out and had a one night stand because she was in love with her best friend who would never love her back. She didn’t want to tell Isabel that her childhood friend was the man who’d gotten her pregnant or that they’d only met because a friend’s girlfriend thought she was so pathetic she’d given her a membership to a high-class bar. And certainly, Mikasa didn’t want to say it all out loud. </p><p>One look at Isabel told Mikasa she wasn’t buying it. She sighed and picked at a flakey piece of the bread from her breakfast sandwich. “It was a one night stand and I wasn’t as careful as I should have been.”</p><p>“So, do you know who the father is?”</p><p>“I know how to get in contact with him,” it was the same answer she’d given Eren because, like Eren, it was information too dangerous to let Isabel have. </p><p>“Will you?”</p><p>She really didn’t want to. “I don’t know yet. I only knew him for a few hours. What if he isn’t a good man? I don’t want to invite that into mine and my child’s life.” She hated that awful feeling in her chest when she was deliberately misleading someone, much less a friend. </p><p>Isabel swallowed a mouthful of croissant. “I just wish I’d had a chance to introduce you to my friend, Levi, before you got pregnant. I swear you two are perfect for each other.”</p><p>Mikasa racked her brain trying to come up with a way to get Isabel to continue telling her about Levi without seeming too interested. It would be weird for her to want to be set up on a date with her being newly pregnant. She had to be casual, but therein lay the problem, she didn’t know how to extract information casually. The results on her internet search had either been weird or lackluster.</p><p>“I’ve never seen him interested in someone before and then you come along, and I know you, and, bam! You’re off the market.” Isabel paused with her cup of hot chocolate halfway to her mouth. “You aren’t still interested in dating are you, because I don’t think a baby would be a deal-breaker with as hot as you are.”</p><p>Or maybe all she had to do was remain quiet and Isabel would just tell her without prompting. </p><p>“Uh -“ Dating was not on the table, father of her child or not. “I don’t really want a relationship right now.”</p><p>Isabel nodded her head understandingly. “That makes sense.”</p><p>For the rest of the day, Mikasa tried to lead the conversation back to Levi. Tried as in, she stressed over all the possible repercussions of every sentence she thought to say only for the moment to pass as she pictured one impossible scenario after another. Fortunately, Isabel spared her embarrassment for all the long pauses in their conversations. She did, however, insist that Mikasa sit for a few minutes and drink water several times throughout the day. </p><p>In the end, the only other time Levi was mentioned was when Isabel said that she would be sleeping in his guest bedroom that night instead of driving back to her own home. The only thing Mikasa could gather from that statement was that he lived somewhere in the city and that he had an extra bedroom. If she did end up telling him and he wanted to be included in their child’s life, then he would have the space for said child. </p><p>By the time she got home, she was considering excluding Levi from ever knowing he had gotten her pregnant once more. It would be so easy and she could really use something easy right about now in her life. Her Hizuru heritage would surely obscure any inherited physical traits from Levi. She’d lived the majority of her life without a father, it could be done. Her child would never want for male influences in their life with Eren, Armin, and Grisha around. </p><p>Mikasa felt like scum just thinking about it. She knew it wasn’t right to deprive a father and child of a relationship. </p><p>“Morning, Mikasa, did you bring the dress?” Lynne called as soon as Mikasa had stepped foot off the elevator. Had she been waiting in the lobby this whole time?</p><p>She lifted the arm that the dress, in its dry cleaned bag, was slung over. “Did you bring yours?” She’d gotten a few looks on the bus that morning. Still, she probably would have gotten more looks had she worn the dress to work.</p><p>“It’s in my office, let’s go try them on now.” </p><p>The whole office had gotten an email about the upcoming charity gala they were mandated to attend. Many of their clients would be in attendance and they were expected to shmooze. Mikasa had immediately dreaded the shopping trip she’d need to take to buy a new dress for the event. Of course, she already had a dress to fit in with the required formal attire, but she’d worn that to the last company function. It would be tacky to wear the same dress over and over again around the same people. </p><p>Lynne had been in the same situation and suggested they swap dresses for the gala. It was fortunate that they were roughly the same height and had similar builds. </p><p>With the office door closed and the blinds drawn, the two stripped down to their underwear. Mikasa folded her blouse and skirt over the back of a chair before slipping Lynn’s dress off its hanger and stepping into it. She tugged the zipper from the top of her thigh, up to the top of her hip, and then turned around to face the full-length mirror on the back of the door. </p><p>Sometimes Lynne could be daring with her dresses, however, this dress appeared to be one of the more modest garments she owned. It was a simple black dress with a floor-length skirt that was maybe just half an inch too long for her. Mikasa had a pair of heels in her closet that would remedy that without having to get it hemmed. She particularly liked the halter neckline that came all the way up to her throat in a collar. Meaning, she wouldn’t have to wear a necklace or have any cleavage on display. Really the only jewelry she would need would be a pair of earrings and a bracelet. In fact, the two she had in mind sat in the jewelry box on her vanity at home.</p><p>The only problem she had with the dress was the open back. She could feel the hem resting just above her backside. The problem with this was that there would be many old men at the gala who would assuredly take the cut of her dress as an invitation to grope her ass. Their wives weren’t any better. Last Christmas she’d seen one woman well into her 60’s stick her hand inside another woman’s low cut dress to adjust her breast. </p><p>“Oh, that looks good on you,” Lynne said, causing Mikasa to turn and face her.</p><p>The dress Mikasa had brought was also floor-length but navy in color rather than black. When she had worn the dress at a company event at the beginning of the year, she’d paired a large yellow diamond necklace on loan from Kiyomi with the straight strapless cut of the neckline. Because the dress didn’t have sleeves, Gelgar had grilled her relentlessly that night on her workout routine and her use of protein shakes in a fit of jealousy over her more trim biceps.</p><p>“I had to use these sticky chicken cutlet things that hooked together in the middle last time I wore that dress.” Lynne adjusted the top of the dress she was in further up her chest. “At least I only have to wear a strapless bra with this one.”</p><p>“I have a backless bra but it doesn’t look like chicken cutlets,” Her’s was black with adhesive inside the cups. She’d never had occasion to wear it out before. When she and Sasha had each bought a pair, they’d spent the majority of an afternoon trying to put them on the right way. She’d either have to practice before the gala or enlist help. “How’d you get your’s on so it wasn’t crooked?”</p><p>“Gelgar.”</p><p>Mikasa paused in her inspection of the way the dress hung off her backside. When she cut her eyes to Lynne, it was to see the other woman had her mouth open and her eyes wide. Mikasa didn’t know who was more surprised at the admission. She’d long suspected an office romance between the two, but there had never been any evidence beyond a vague feeling.</p><p>Lynne was shaking her head now as if to deny that the name had ever come from her mouth. “I - I,” A knock at the door saved Lynne from having to come up with an explanation. For now. “Come in!” </p><p>Nanaba opened the door with a thick stack of papers in one arm. She paused in the doorway, looking between Mikasa and Lynne, her face blank. Formal dresses weren’t exactly in line with their office dress code. “What are you two doing?”</p><p>Once more, Mikasa cut her eyes to Lynne, “Trying on dresses for the gala this Friday.” It wasn’t really her secret to share after all.</p><p>A flicker of relief crossed Lynne’s face, “What do you think?” She said, striking a pose. Mikasa half-heartedly mimicked her.</p><p>Nanaba took a good look at both of them as she moved fully into the room. “You both look great,” She closed the door behind her.</p><p>“You don’t think it’s too low in the back?” Mikasa asked, turning around to show Nanaba her insecurity about the dress’s lack of a back. </p><p>She looked over her shoulder to watch the other woman assess the dress. “I think as long as you don’t turn your back to any of the MP men, you should be fine.”</p><p>That was always good advice, the men who worked for Nile Dok were some of the handsiest men she’d ever met. </p><p>Both Mikasa and Lynne quickly slipped back into their work attire. Mikasa made the same note she’d made earlier that morning when she had gotten dressed for the day, and that was that this particular skirt was more difficult to zip up than it had been the last time she’d worn it. </p><p>She was starting to get a baby bump. </p><p>It wasn’t so pronounced that anyone other than she had noticed, but it was there, all the same, every time she pressed her fingertips into the skin just above her pubic bone. She’d begun to notice the emerging swell several weeks back. The hard ball of muscle that was her expanding uterus was growing a little more every day. It wouldn’t be too much longer before she’d have to go shopping for a whole new wardrobe. For now, however, this was probably the last time she’d be able to wear this particular skirt until after the baby was born. </p><p>Mikasa left Lynne’s office and walked down the hall to her own. She hung the borrowed dress on a coatrack in the corner and stashed her purse behind her desk before leaving for the kitchen. Lately, she’d taken to brewing a cup of ginger tea as soon as she got into work. Grisha had recommended it when she’d complained of her morning sickness. The tea had worked wonders on her abused esophagus and she’d finally been able to get her work done without running to the restrooms at irregular intervals. </p><p>It was as she had just finished filling the electric kettle that her newly acquired routine was interrupted. </p><p>“Mikasa,” She turned to see Mike walking into the kitchen with three other men behind him. Two stayed out in the hall near the door, while the third, a tall blonde man, followed Mike into the kitchen. “I’m sure you’ve met before, but I believe it’s been a while. You remember Erwin Smith.”</p><p>Erwin Smith was the CEO of the whole company. She’d only talked to him once when they’d been introduced in an elevator during her first week with the company. Over the years, she’d seen him dozens of other times, giving speeches at company events, in the news, and walking through the lobby. </p><p>Mikasa abandoned her tea making and reached out her hand to take his. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Sir.”</p><p>He gave her hand a firm shake before letting go, which Mikasa was grateful for. There were few things worse than having a superior hold your hand too long during what should be a short handshake. “And you Ms. Ackerman, I hear Mike put you in charge of planning the upcoming company retreat. How’s that coming along?”</p><p>Mikasa gave him a quick rundown of what all she had done so far and the few things that still needed to be done. Mostly, everything was done. The menu’s for the caterers were selected with back up menus for each meal, their lodgings were booked, the activities at the ranch were planned, and the speakers had their plane tickets and had marked their calendars. Everything for the retreat was mostly done, really, all they had to do now was wait.</p><p>“It sounds like we’re in capable hands.” He said, his smile widening. Many women in the company considered Mr. Smith to be incredibly handsome. They were right. “I hear congratulations is also in order,”</p><p>Mikasa raised her eyebrows and glanced at Mike for some kind of clue as to what their boss was talking about. He gave her no hints other than a small upturn of his lips which was no help at all really.</p><p>“When are you due?”</p><p>Oh, right, she was pregnant. How did she forget about that? She’d only been obsessing over it for weeks. “December 30th, Sir.”</p><p>“Ah, two and a half months earlier and we might have shared a birthday.” Mr. Smith paused and frowned. “Sorry, that was a strange thing to say.”</p><p>Mikasa thought so too. But people had been making all sorts of similar comments about having her baby early or holding out an extra week so that her baby could share a birthday with them. The strange phenomenon seemed to be universal.</p><p>“Have a good day Ms. Ackerman,” Mr. Smith said before turning and leading Mike and the two other men out of the kitchen and down the hall, presumably toward Mike’s office. </p><p>All but one of the men turned to leave. The last one, who still stood in the doorway, was the shortest of the group and dreadfully familiar. Because she never expected him to show up at her place of work, it took a moment to recognize him. </p><p>Levi, the father of her child.</p><p>He almost looked like he could be carved from stone with how still he stood. Mikasa didn’t even think he was breathing, but then, neither was she. There was an emotion she couldn’t identify in his wide eyes. It was clear he’d done some quick math in his head while she and Mr. Smith had been speaking to each other. Did he suspect that she was pregnant with his child or was he just surprised at running into a one-night-stand while he was working? He didn't work at the company did her? Surely she would get repremanded for sleeping with someone she worked with.</p><p>Mikasa had never had the urge to run from something so strongly in her life. Why did this have to happen here and now of all places? </p><p>The muffled sound of someone speaking just out of earshot caused Mikasa to take a step back. Where her body thought it was going, she didn’t know. There was only one safe way out of the kitchen and that was through Levi. The second, and decidedly less safe exit that became more appealing by the second, was a 15th story window. </p><p>Levi turned his head just slightly, never taking his eyes off her,  to address who had ever spoken in the hall. She couldn’t hear what he said, just the soft murmur of his voice from across the quiet kitchen. </p><p>Tearing herself from his gaze, she turned back around. She had work to get back to, after all. Probably he didn’t want to confront her here. That would lead to awkward questions from her boss and he couldn’t possibly be so cruel, could he? With a steadying breath, she began to prepare her tea. The sound of steps crossing the tile floor seemed to keep time with the beat of her heart. She tried to ignore him as he joined her at the counter, but it was hard when she could feel his presence almost physically pushing against her. </p><p>“Mikasa,” He said, pulling down a mug for himself. “I think we need to talk.”</p><p>His voice had the same deep thrum as she remembered. It did absolutely nothing for her composure.</p><p>“I’m afraid I have to get back to work,” She wanted to confront him on her own terms if she wanted to confront him at all. Whatever this nightmare was, it wasn’t what she had in mind. </p><p>He stared at the box of ginger tea she had pulled from the cabinet and Mikasa had the irrational urge to hide it. “I was thinking we could meet somewhere after work. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time today. Are you free tomorrow for lunch?” His words were spoken slowly and carefully. He selected a tea bag for himself and filled his mug with water from the kettle. All the while, Mikasa fiddled with her still empty mug. How was he so calm and collected? She felt like an imenent train wrek.</p><p>“No, I have plans then,” And she did, she had her doctor's appointment with Dr. Zoë then. But she didn’t want to tell him that. It just felt like more proof of her pregnancy offered up on a silver platter to him. What if he requested to go with her? </p><p>He paused in his tea making to turn and face her fully. Mikasa was slow in copying him, bringing her empty mug to hold between them as some kind of paltry shield. It had been 3 months since they’d been this close to each other. She’d forgotten just how attractive his face was and the memories that face brought of that night came flooding in. Her cheeks heated as she remembered him above her, under her, behind her.</p><p>She’d also forgotten that he had blue eyes and remembered that she’d been surprised when she’d first noticed them in the dim lights of the bar that night. She didn’t know what it was about him that made her think he’d have dark eyes. Maybe it was his frown that he seemed to always wear but didn’t appear to be an accurate indicator of his mood. Though he didn’t look pleased with her now if his narrowing eyes were any indication. They almost looked like chips of ice under his dark lashes. </p><p>“After work then?”</p><p>She didn’t have any plans after work tomorrow, but she didn’t want to meet with him either. The whole reason she’d gone to the bar that night and approached him was on the premise that she’d never have to see him again. She’d never have to look at him and remember how weak she’d been to seek him out in the first place, how stupid she’d been to think that one night would make up for all the years she’d spent pining after Eren.</p><p>“There’s a cafe on the corner of South Rose and 5th Street, does 5:30 work for you?”  It was just far enough away from her office building that running into anyone she worked with would be slim. </p><p>“I’ll see you there,” He took his mug of tea and left her alone in the silent kitchen feeling raw and freyed. </p><p>Levi rounded the corner to see Eld leaning against the wall outside the entrance to the kitchen. He had been typing something into his phone but stopped and looked up when Levi came out. “Mr. Smith said they were going to move the meeting to his office instead?”</p><p>The two started walking down the hall to the bank of elevators. Erwin’s office was the next floor up and considerably larger than Mike’s. It was where they'd held the majority of their meetings regarding the merger. The merger he should be focusing on. Only, he hadn’t expected her to be here too, much less employed under Mike. Now he couldn't think of anything but her.<br/>“What does my schedule look like tomorrow afternoon?” </p><p>Eld flipped open the cover of his tablet that had, up until that point, been tucked under his arm. “It looks like you’re clear until 5:45, you have a dinner meeting with -”</p><p>“Cancel it.” </p><p>Eld paused a moment in his steps before catching up to Levi once more. “What? But it took months to schedule that meeting. She’s only in town for two days.” He said as they came to a stop in front of an elevator.</p><p>“Something’s come up, either push it back or reschedule it.” He would not miss his meeting with Mikasa for anything. Not when she seemed so reluctant in the first place. There was no telling if he'd get a second chance should he cancel on her? And how would he even cancel on her, he didn't have her number. Why hadn't he asked for it earlier, or better yet, that night at the bar?</p><p>They’d hit it off so well that first night. He couldn’t ever remember connecting with someone so fast. Then she’d snuck out sometime between falling asleep wrapped around each other and Levi waking up the next morning. It wasn’t often he entertained a one-night-stand, the last being sometime before he turned 30, but it was the first time he’d been disappointed not to wake up with the girl he’d fallen asleep with. Even with on going relationships he'd had with women in the past, he hadn't minded them leaving early.</p><p>Seeing her at the doctor's office had left him so surprised he hadn’t noticed her strange behavior until he’d examined the encounter later. She had been trying to avoid his notice, terribly, because as soon as he recognized her, she was all he could see or think about. It was a surprise to learn she was friends with Isabel. His ensuing interrogation hadn’t been nearly as subtle as he’d hoped and Isabel had latched on to the idea of trying her hand as a matchmaker.</p><p>Until this past weekend, Isabel had been relentless in questioning him about his romantic preferences. She’d showed up at his apartment Saturday night unannounced, put her hand on his shoulder, and told him that Mikasa wasn’t available right now. At the time, he thought that meant that she’d since gotten into a relationship with someone else. His mind had jealously gone to the blonde boy she had been sitting with in the waiting room. It was only a few minutes ago that he realized she wasn’t dating because she was pregnant. </p><p>December 30th. That put the time of conception right around the day they’d met.</p><p>“You can’t reschedule whatever it is that came up?”</p><p>There was a quiet ding before the elevator doors opened to reveal a blissfully empty compartment. “No.” Levi said, stepping in with Eld following to stand beside him. </p><p>Just before the doors closed, he saw Mikasa walking slowly down the hall, mug in hand and head tilted down in what appeared to be deep thought. Seemingly sensing his stare, she looked up to lock eyes with him one last time before the elevator doors shut completely. </p><p>“She’s pretty,” Eld said, a grin stretching up his face. A face that said he knew the sudden reason Levi wanted to cancel his meeting.</p><p>Levi cut a hard glare to his secretary that wiped any form of amusement from the other man’s face entirely. With any luck, that would be enough warning not to spread rumors about the office.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Your blood pressure is textbook perfect, which is kind of weird because it was last time too.” Dr. Zoë said while reading off of Mikasa’s medical chart, her finger moving down the page as she read off the relevant parts. “It looks like you lost three pounds since last month, how has your appetite been?”</p><p>Mikasa immediately felt a swell of shame fill her chest. She was supposed to be taking care of herself for the baby and she was failing. “Poor. I’ve been having morning sickness, not every day, but close enough, and it’s affecting my appetite. A family friend suggested ginger tea and that helps, but I don’t always have time to stop and make a cup of tea.” </p><p>The humiliation from just that morning still burned brightly at the base of her skull. On her bus ride to work that morning she’d had to rush to the front of the bus and vomit into the little trashcan bolted to the floor. The driver and most of the other passengers had been very upset with her and she didn’t blame them. City buses weren’t known for their functioning air conditioners and this one had been no different. The stench of vomit, combined with the sweltering heat of a full bus made for a foul morning commute.</p><p>“Don’t look so down, it’s very common to lose weight in the first trimester. Being pregnant can be very stressful for mothers no matter if their pregnancy was planned or unplanned. As for those sudden bouts of morning sickness,” Dr. Zoe leaned back to open a drawer in her desk and pulled out a handful of lollipops. “try these. They’re my own creation and mostly natural.”</p><p>Mostly natural. What was the unnatural ingredient? Would her baby grow a third eye if she sucked on these? Would she? Dr. Zoë had a just-this-side-of-unsettling quality about her. She seemed normal, but sometimes she made these small, seemingly inconsequential comments that made Mikasa pause.</p><p>“Do you have any other concerns you want to discuss?” Dr. Zoë asked as she closed the file and set it down on her desk.</p><p>Mikasa couldn’t think of anything to ask, Dr. Zoë had a knack for sharing a lot of information about everything pregnancy-related. At this point, Mikasa felt she had a decent chance of passing an entry-level test on the first trimester of pregnancy. “I think you covered everything.”</p><p>Dr. Zoë leaned forward on her desk, clasping her hands together over Mikasa’s file. “You know, I always get that.” She almost sounded put out by it. “In any case, I wanted to talk to you about something I noticed during your last visit.”</p><p>Mikasa frowned and straightened in her chair. Was something wrong with the baby? Was something wrong with her? Her insurance? </p><p>“When I last spoke to you about sexual activity during pregnancy, I got the impression that you weren’t too keen on the idea, like at all. Is there a reason for that?”</p><p>Mikasa had no idea how to answer that. She didn’t even know where to start. Wasn’t that a bit too personal? It was a breach of social decorum. Then again, this woman had had her fingers inside Mikasa not 20 minutes before, so maybe it was a little bit relevant. Dr. Zoë had also mentioned that she held psyche degrees to better connect with her patients, so maybe it wasn’t so weird to ask about hangups regarding sex. </p><p>Still, it took a good minute before Mikasa was able to formulate a response. “I’m just... not seeing anyone now and I can’t see myself sleeping with anyone new while I’m pregnant.” That was mostly the truth without the details. Probably Dr. Zoë didn’t want her whole life story on the matter.</p><p>Dr. Zoë didn’t look satisfied with her answer. “You know, if something happened, or is continuing to happen, I’m here for you. We can just talk, or I can connect you with resources-“</p><p>“Wait!” As grateful as she was that her doctor was willing to help out battered women in danger, she wasn’t one of them. “I wasn’t assaulted and I’m not being abused, now or ever. I’m just embarrassed. I’m sorry if that came off the wrong way.”</p><p>The other woman’s already wide eyes grew even larger, with her eyebrows climbing higher up her forehead than Mikasa thought possible. “Oh.” She said, leaning back in her chair. “Well, I guess if you’re ever in that situation now you know that we’re here to help you.”</p><p>“Thank you, Dr. Zoë, I appreciate that.” Did people always think she’d had some kind of traumatic experience when she avoided talking about sex?</p><p>“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you embarrassed about?” </p><p>It might be better to come clean now rather than risk another misunderstanding. She didn’t want to mention Eren, that was the most embarrassing part. All her friends knew about her crush and they pitied her all the more for it. She didn’t want the same from her doctor.</p><p>“I,” Why was it such a struggle to articulate her mistakes into a sentence? “I got pregnant from a one-night-stand, it was my first time. For any kind of physical thing like that.” Not only had she given Levi her virginity, but also her first kiss. “Even though I knew I should have at least used a condom then, I forgot, and I’m afraid it might happen again.” </p><p>It was a ridiculous fear, but it remained all the same. </p><p>“While contraceptives and prophylactics are always encouraged, we do have other methods to prevent pregnancies should forgetfulness in the heat of the moment occur. It's also highly improbable you’ll get pregnant again while you’re already pregnant.” She said with a dismissive wave of her hand.</p><p>What?  </p><p>Mikasa had meant that she didn’t want to risk a second pregnancy after this first baby was born. She’d never fathomed that there was a risk of a double pregnancy should she have sex while pregnant, albeit a slim chance. To her, this bizarre risk was all the more reason not to engage in the act. </p><p>“Frankly I’m surprised you weren’t on some type of birth control already.” She continued, her head tilted and her eyes narrowing. </p><p>There had been no reason for her to be on birth control before. She’d been single her entire life, her trip to the bar that night had been impulsive and out of character for her and it was too late for her to take it now that she was already pregnant. “Why’s that?”</p><p>“One of the main reasons is that it can help regulate your period. Most women take birth control for that reason and only secondarily use it for its intended reason.” She glanced at the clock on the wall and Mikasa knew she was taking up too much of the doctor’s time. “We can talk about it more after the baby’s born.”</p><p>She still wasn’t keen on the idea of any more sex with anyone, but maybe birth control wasn’t a bad idea. According to her various late-night internet searches, a post-pregnancy body was riddled with an overabundance of hormones that could affect everything from her emotional state, to her complexion, to her periods. She didn’t want to deal with bleeding through her pants at the same time as she would be stuffing her bra to absorb milk. Birth control would definitely be a topic she and Dr. Zoë revisited.</p><p>Mikasa has been alternately talking herself in and out of going to the cafe since she’d made the plans the day before. Even now, as she sat at the only free table by the front window, she couldn’t decide if she should stay or leave before he got there. Secretly, in the darkest corner of her heart, she hoped he wouldn’t come. Then she’d have a reason to hate him and exclude him from her and the baby’s life. It would be so easy and she wouldn’t have to confront the choices she made that brought her to this point.</p><p>Just as she’d convinced herself to get up and leave for the umpteenth time, Levi walked through the door. He must have seen her in the window from outside because he didn’t pause to look for her in the crowded room and instead walked straight toward her. </p><p>“Mikasa,” He said in greeting before pulling out the chair opposite her and taking a set. He glanced down at the empty table, “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”</p><p>She didn’t plan for their conversation to be that long. “No, thank you.”</p><p>He seemed to sense her thoughts and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, the permanent frown on his face dipping down a bit lower. </p><p>“I hadn’t realized you worked for Scout Enterprises.” </p><p>Because she’d been agonizing over every possible outcome since they’d crossed paths the day before, Mikasa had developed a tentative plan to steer the conversation more toward their company. Maybe, if he was distracted enough by the threat of disciplinary action taken by the company should they find out what happened between them, he’d forget bout the pregnancy. Mikasa, however, knew this was wishful thinking on her part. She’d spent the rest of yesterday in her office hoping he hadn’t heard her conversation with Mr. Smith all the while having the look on his face etched forever into her memory.</p><p>Levi studied her for a long moment across the table before speaking. “I don’t, I’m the CFO for Legion Operations.”</p><p>Panic hit her like a freight train. If anyone at either of their companies found out, would their actions be construed as corporate espionage? That carried a jail sentence and was surely a fireable offense. She couldn’t raise a child on no paycheck. Her savings were fair for someone her age but it would by no means be comfortable while she searched for a new job with a baby on the way. And who would even hire a pregnant woman? There wasn’t enough time for her to start a new job and qualify for maternity leave. She'd be screwed.</p><p>Worse still, while she hadn’t slept with one of the higher-ups in her company, she’d slept with one in Eren’s. He’d first been an intern for Legion Operations before being offered a job right out of college. Legion was a smaller company than Scout, surely Eren knew almost everyone there from his years of employment. Hadn’t he spoken of a Levi in his company before? What had he said about him again? </p><p>She couldn’t remember, not that it mattered. Mikasa was now intimately more acquainted with Eren’s boss than he ever would be. Maybe it was time to really consider any of the numerous job offers Kiyomi had made to her over the years. She could just leave Paradis altogether and never look back. Hizuru was a lovely country and she already knew the language quite well. </p><p>Despite Mikasa trying to keep outwardly calm, some of the anxiety she felt must have shown on her face. “Don’t worry about our companies, that’s not why I wanted to meet with you today.”</p><p>“What about the merger?” She didn’t want to talk about why he wanted to meet her today. And what about Eren? What would he do when he found out because there was no way he wouldn’t find out eventually.</p><p>“It shouldn’t have any effect on the merger and if anyone asks, I’ll take care of it.” It was clear Levi wasn’t going to allow himself to be distracted from his intended conversation topic.</p><p>He was silent for a moment as he considered her before his eyes fell from her face, down to her stomach that was partially covered by the table. Mikasa crossed her arms over her abdomen as if to shield herself from his gaze despite knowing how ridiculous it was. There was no bump to see yet. </p><p>“Is the child mine?”</p><p>Mikasa could feel her fingers digging into her sides as she tried to regain control of her thundering pulse. “It’s my child,” </p><p>It was neither a confirmation nor a denial. If he was the kind of man Eren’s mother, Carla, had warned her about, then he’d pretend she’d told him no and leave, never to return and congratulating himself for dodging a bullet. She couldn’t tell if that’s what she really wanted or not. It felt as if she were stuck on the middle of a scale running back and forth trying to balance out her wants and fears. </p><p>Levi finally returned his sharp gaze to her face once more. “Let me be clear, did I father your child?” </p><p>His annoyance at her evasion was palpable. Mikasa caught herself before she could squirm in her seat to release the building tension. Once again, she rediscovered his blue eyes, and just like yesterday, she hated the way they pierced into her. Her mother used to say that avoiding eye contact was the sign of a guilty mind.</p><p>“...Yes.” She said after a long moment of trying to come up with any other answer. Her tactics had failed, it was no use trying to hide the truth now.</p><p>Levi turned to look away from her to stare out the window as if he couldn't look at her a moment longer, his frown noticeably deeper. “Where you ever going to tell me?” He asked, his words short and clipped. </p><p>“I don’t know.” She hadn’t actually meant to tell him in those exact words. “It was all very unexpected and I was struggling to find the right way to tell you.”</p><p>That didn’t appear to be an excuse he was willing to accept as he turned his scowl from the sidewalk outside back to her. She didn’t blame him, it was a lame excuse. She was just a coward. </p><p>“Look, I don’t expect anything from you in regards to the baby. This wasn’t my goal that night, but after a lot of thought, I’ve decided to see it through.” She kind of wished she had something to fiddle with to help release her mounting anxious energy. “I can sign something to the effect of absolving you of financial responsibility at any time in the future if that’s what you’d prefer.”</p><p>Levi opened his mouth to speak but abruptly stopped to level a vicious glare over her shoulder. Mikasa flinched, thinking for one horrible second that the glare had been aimed at her until she realized he wasn’t actually looking at her. She didn’t think she’d ever been on the receiving end of anything like that before.</p><p>Mikasa looked over her shoulder to see a boy about her age with dark hair and freckles. He looked like he had been in the process of walking up to their table only to freeze in his tracks under Levi’s gaze. </p><p>“S-sorry, sir, I-I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He stuttered. “I’ll-I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” He gave their table a wide berth and booked it out the door. </p><p>“What if I don’t want to back out?” He asked as though the interruption had never happened, his scowl had disappeared but the frown remained. </p><p>Mikasa didn’t immediately respond as she tried to wrap her head around what he’d said. “Why?” Why would he want anything to do with her or the baby. They didn’t know each other beyond the superficial. There was no bond or relationship there to build on. She had specifically given him an out for the whole situation. </p><p>“It’s my child just as much as it is yours, why wouldn’t I want to be in their life?” </p><p>This wasn’t going how she had pictured at all. She’d expected accusations, name-calling, and threats. She’d seen it happen on TV and movies for years and once in a public breakup at her gym. Wasn’t that how it was supposed to happen?</p><p>“Why did you decide to keep the baby?” He asked when she remained silent. </p><p>Because she was pathetic. Because this was her only chance at a family that was hers instead of intruding on the families of her friends. Even in her own remaining family, she felt like an outsider. This was her chance and she wasn’t going to waste it. </p><p>But she couldn’t tell him that. “I don’t think that’s relevant.” She said, seeing his point as soon as the words were out of her mouth. </p><p>“Then neither are my motivations.”</p><p>That was fair even if she didn’t like it.</p><p>“Do you have any questions about the pregnancy?” She asked after several tense moments of silence, wanting to wrap this up and go home. It had been a long day, this conversation was draining, and she was tired. </p><p>“When are you due?”</p><p>“December 30th.” It seemed so far away and yet it felt like she was running out of time. She hadn’t done any shopping for the baby yet and there was so much to buy. </p><p>Levi nodded his gaze no longer on her but on the table. “Is it a boy or a girl?”</p><p>″I won’t know for several more weeks.″ Dr. Zoë had said that the earliest she would look for the sex of the baby would be at 15 weeks gestation. Mikasa’s next appointment was scheduled for when she would be at 16 weeks. Would it be weird to offer to invite him to the appointment as an effort of goodwill? She’d seen other fathers attend doctor’s appointments but those men and women had always appeared to be couples. She and Levi weren’t a couple so maybe it was inappropriate. </p><p>They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. At least it was uncomfortable on Mikasa’s part, Levi appeared to be lost in thought. She wondered if she should offer to let him look at the series of sonograph pictures in her purse that Dr. Zoë’s ultrasound technician, Molbit, had printed off for her earlier. Would that be something he was interested in? He had asked about the gender of the baby, so maybe. </p><p>Mikasa twisted in her seat to pull her purse off the back of the chair and began to rifle through it. How all these receipts managed to accumulate when she made it a habit to throw them away as soon as they were in her hand, she didn’t know. </p><p>“Are you leaving?” He asked, sitting up straighter in his seat.</p><p>“Uh - no, I thought you might want to see to the sonogram pictures.” Finally, she felt her fingertips brush the glossy paper and she pulled the photos out. She shouldn’t have shoved them in her purse earlier, the corner was folded on the last photo. “Here.” She said, passing them across the table to him.</p><p>When he reached out to take them, the tips of his fingers brushed against the back of her fingers. Mikasa thought she did a marvelous job of not flinching or snatching her hand back to the safety of her personal bubble. His skin was so warm, had she ever noticed it three months ago when all this began? </p><p>He studied the pictures for a long time to the point where Mikasa was growing uncomfortable with the silence again. Should she offer him to keep one of them? Would that be weird? What if he didn’t want it and if he did, he’d ask for it, right? She wasn’t too keen on rejection right now. </p><p>“Would you like one of the pictures to keep?” So much for waiting for him to ask. How long had she been setting herself up for failure like this?  </p><p>He looked up and his face almost looked soft under the hard lines and sharp angles. “You don’t mind?”</p><p>She shook her head and dug into her purse again, this time pulling out her father's old pocket knife. She held out her hand for the pictures and cut the top picture off for him, sliding the sharp little blade cleanly across the white space between one photo and the next. “The nurse prints them out for me whenever I get an ultrasound.”  </p><p>She passed his picture to him. It was almost tender with how delicately he held it. Mikasa tried to imagine him holding a baby in the same manner. A wave of heat rose from her chest to the top of her head in a rush. She used the flimsy excuse of tucking the rest of the pictures and the pocket knife back in her purse to hide the force blush lighting up her cheeks. </p><p>It was so inappropriate. Why had the thought of him holding a baby made her so hot? What was wrong with her? She needed to end this meeting now before she did something she’d regret, like propositioning him again.</p><p>“So how are we going to do this?” He asked. His focus was on her but one finger still traced the edge of the photo laid on the tabletop. </p><p>Mikasa had no idea what he was talking about. “Do what, exactly?” </p><p>He gestured between them. “This, us.”</p><p>Mikasa has been so concentrated on steering him away from her and the baby she hadn’t thought about how they’d raise a baby together at all. “I don’t know.” She answered truthfully. </p><p>Now that he knew she was pregnant, was she supposed to give him an update after every doctor's visit? Did they do it in person or was an email or text fine? They were busy people after all. Did she give him a call once the baby was born? Did he want to wait in the hall while she was in labor? She didn’t think she’d be comfortable with him in the room with her while she delivered the baby. </p><p>“I’d like to build some kind of relationship with you before the baby’s born so that we can be more effective parents. To do that I suggest we both commit to seeing each other four times a week. We can spend our time together learning about each other and planning for the baby.” He said, oddly formal. </p><p>Once more indecision bore down on her. He was right in that they would need a healthy relationship with each other to effectively parent. However, the way he presented his idea sounded like a business proposal to date and she didn’t know how she felt about that. </p><p>“Are you suggesting we go on… dates?” She asked, just to clarify. </p><p>His face gave nothing away. “You could call them that, the goal would be to prepare a relationship with each other for the baby.”</p><p>Mikasa couldn’t put her finger on the exact reason why, but she felt like she was misled. Maybe she was just being paranoid though. She had prepared herself for a man who would wash his hands of her and the baby at the first opportunity she presented. Levi was turning out to be far different than she had expected. It couldn’t hurt to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, she’d explained to him in the bar that night that she wasn’t interested in any type of romantic relationship. </p><p>“I can’t commit to four days a week, would two work?” How long were these dates even supposed to last? She had so much to do between now and when the baby arrived, this seemed like an unnecessary complication. </p><p>“Three days, four if our schedules allow it.” </p><p>It was a bit unsettling to barter on her use of free time like this. The whole thing was beginning to feel more and more like a business arrangement. Was that how he was viewing this, was that how he had viewed their one-night-stand. </p><p>Four days a week wasn’t ideal, but it could be done. “I can’t meet on Mondays or Wednesdays.” That was when she had her night classes and would leave her only one free day a week to herself. </p><p>He nodded his head and pulled out his phone from the inside of his jacket pocket. “Noted, why don’t we meet this weekend for dinner and a movie?” </p><p>That definitely sounded like a date.</p><p>“I’m free Sunday.” She had plans all day Saturday to go apartment hunting.</p><p>Levi slid his phone across the table to her with an empty contact form open on the screen. It would help if they were able to communicate in some way other than happenstance. Mikasa pulled out her phone and did the same before filling out her contact information. She even included her work email. Why? She didn’t know. </p><p>With her phone back in her possession, Mikasa stood, pulling the strap of her purse over her arm to rest on her shoulder. “I’ll see you Sunday then, 6 o’clock?” She pushed her chair in and followed him out fo the cafe.</p><p>Levi held the door open for her when they reached it. “That works for me,” He said, before following her out. </p><p>Mikasa turned to face him one last time. She felt as if she should say something but suddenly her mind was blank. What else was there to discuss really. </p><p>“Let me walk you to your car.” It didn’t sound like a question when he said it. In fact, she had the impression that he’d known the answer to all the questions he’d asked. Only the one about the sonogram stood out. He’d seemed genuine when he’d asked if she’d mind if he kept the one picture. It was the only thing that stalled her from feeling manipulated during the whole conversation. </p><p>“I don’t have a car, I take the bus.” He looked so flummoxed at her admission she almost wanted to laugh. </p><p>“But it’s filthy,” He said, his upper lip curling in what was almost a snarl.</p><p>Jean was sat on the sofa folding laundry when Marco walked in. They’d met on their first day of work together at Legion and become fast friends and soon after, roommates. Marco’s unwavering kindness brought a nice balance to Jean’s biting sarcasm, at least that’s what their mutual friends said. </p><p>“You’ll never guess who I saw at the coffee shop down on the corner,” Marco said as he sat down on the other end of the couch next to Jean.</p><p>Jean grumbled as waited for Marco to continue and searched the laundry basket for a missing sock. He could buy a new car with all the money he spent replacing missing socks. “Well,” He snapped after a moment too long of Marco’s silence. “Who’d you see?”</p><p>Other people got testy when Jean snapped at them, but it had never phased Marco. “Mr. Ackerman, and it looked like he was on a date.”</p><p>Jean had once stupidly asked Eren if Mikasa and Mr. Ackerman were related. Ackerman wasn’t a common name and it had made sense that they might be related. Eren, being the ass that he is, had been intentionally vague so Jean had brought it up to Mikasa the next time they’d all been together. That was when he learned that she was an orphan and not just that, but that her parents had been killed. Jean knew deep in his heart that Eren had set him up for that humiliation.</p><p>“A date,” He snorted, “Did Ms. Ral finally wear him down?” Everyone in Legion knew Ms. Ral had the hots for Mr. Ackerman. Jean had always wondered if he was gay or stupid to ignore a woman as beautiful as Ms. Ral. As it turned out, he already had a girlfriend.</p><p>“No, I don’t know who it is. She looked kind of familiar, but maybe she just had one of those faces. She was really pretty, though.”</p><p>Jean finally found the missing sock on the floor between his feet. “Well good for him, if anyone needs to get laid, it’s him.” </p><p>He lifted the shirt he’d worn last Saturday out of the basket and took a good long look at it. “Hey,” He turned to face Marco while holding the shirt up to his chest. “Does this shirt make me look like a waiter?”</p><p>Marco leaned back to get a better picture and offered him a sunny smile, “I think it makes you look professional.”</p><p>“What the hell kind of answer is that?” Great, he looked like a professional waiter.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mikasa was not happy with her current workout routine. It was insufficient on the best of days and she felt herself losing more muscle mass every day. Not to mention all the pent up energy she had building with no release in sight. Yoga was just not enough, even with her reduced weight lifting routine and extra time on the treadmill. She needed something that made her muscles burn and her pores drip sweat. There had to be something more intense she could do while pregnant. </p><p>The internet wasn’t helpful in the least with its thousands upon thousands of contradicting articles. Posting about it in a forum was even worse. She’d been hit with a barrage of comments admonishing her for her vanity. Motherhood wasn’t about maintaining your pre-baby body but about bringing new life into the world. There had been several accounts threatening to call Child Protective Services on her. </p><p>She resolved to call Dr. Zoë’s nurse line and leave her question on their answering machine. Surely she could offer some advice on the matter. </p><p>“Ackerman!” </p><p>Mikasa paused in her steps and looked around until she spotted a familiar face. Ian Dietrich was a tall man with a long face and only a few years older than her. “Hey,” </p><p>Ian had been her supervisor while she’d interned at Rose Garrison in college. They’d offered her a full-time position but ultimately she’d chosen Scout for the growth opportunities even if it paid a bit less. That, and she didn’t want to work under Weilman. The man was constantly one minor problem away from an anxiety-induced stroke and was known to throw others under the bus for his own shortcomings. </p><p>“You’re here early,” He said as he came to stand in front of her. </p><p>Usually, she was arriving at the gym as he was leaving. It wasn’t very often the two found themselves in the gym at the same time. </p><p>“I wanted to get an early start this morning,” Mikasa lied. She’d been tossing and turning in her bed all night long, unable to sleep for more than half an hour at a time. This was the third night in a row and she hoped this wouldn’t be her new nightly routine. She blamed it on her lackluster gym routine.</p><p>Ian offered her a short smile and swiped at the sweat on his forehead with his towel. “Are you going to the charity gala tonight, the one for that orphanage out on that farm up near the capital?”</p><p>“I’ll be there, what about you? You had to miss last year’s because of that dog bite, right?”</p><p>He let out a short huff of laughter, “Actually, it was my neighbor’s kid that bit me.” Ian held up his hand to show her the small semi-circle scar on the side of his hand between his pinky finger and wrist. “I needed four stitches.” </p><p>“I didn’t know that kids could bite that hard.” Something to look forward to when her own child began to grow teeth.</p><p>“I didn’t either, but little Louise and I are friends now, so I should be there tonight.” </p><p>Mikasa took a long drink from her water bottle. She’d been so thirsty for the last couple of weeks, it seemed like all she ever did was drink water. Mikasa had even gone out and bought a new, bigger water bottle to keep on her throughout the day to reduce the frequency with which she had to fill it up. Even her skin felt dry, which she had been warned about by her doctor and the internet. She’d taken to slathering lotion on every inch of her skin every morning after her shower. All that escaped her was this one square inch of skin that she couldn’t reach no matter how she bent and twisted and it was the itchiest of all. </p><p>“Maybe you can save me another dance this year since I missed last year’s,” Ian said, bringing her attention back to him. Mikasa thought maybe he was overheating with the way his cheeks, forehead, and ears were turning red. He looked like he needed some water and maybe to sit for a moment. </p><p>Mikasa finished off the last of her water and began to lead them over to the fill-up station. “That sounds great,” She’d danced with Ian before. He wasn’t a bad dancer and always kept his hands off her ass. </p><p>“Y-yeah?” </p><p>His face was even redder now. “Did you need to fill up your water bottle too?” She asked as she unscrewed the lid on hers and began filling it up. He might hurt himself if he passed out and then he’d miss the gala again. </p><p>Later that night found Mikasa entering the banquet hall of the Reiss Hotel. It was the same hotel she’d snuck out of three months previously. She felt like a criminal returning to the scene of her crime. Would the smug bellhop she’d shared the elevator with on her morning walk of shame recognize her? She hadn’t seen him in the lobby, and realistically, he probably wouldn’t remember her anyway with all the traffic this hotel got daily. Still, she wished for a little more coverage than what her dress offered on the wild chance that the bellhop pointed to her from across the room and announced her deeds to everyone within earshot she didn't want all those strangers staring at too much of her skin.</p><p>“Mikasa!”</p><p>She looked up from the various enlarged photos of orphaned children on a farm at the sound of her name. “Dr. Zoë, I didn’t expect to see you here.” The surprise was evident in her voice. It was almost too easy to forget that doctors existed outside their offices.</p><p>“An old friend of mine is always inviting me to these things.” She said with a wide wave of her arm, the wine in her glass sloshing alarmingly. “Look how pretty you are. You have really nice back muscles, by the way, it almost looked like they were glaring at me when they tensed up.”</p><p>Should she say thank you? It felt kind of like a compliment.</p><p>“Anyway, how have you been doing?” </p><p>That’s right, she had never called the office to ask about her workout routine. On the one hand, she didn’t want to bombard her doctor with medical questions outside of work. On the other hand, her doctor was standing right in front of her and had always been eager to pile on the information. “I did have a question, but I don’t want to bother you outside of your office hours, I can just leave a message on your nurse’s line.” She said, deciding it would be rude of her. </p><p>Dr. Zoë waved her, thankfully empty, hand dismissively. “Nonsense, we're both here right now and you’ve never seemed the type to hound me with silly what if’s.” She was probably the only doctor on the planet willing to dole out medical advice while not working. Grisha had always told people to make an appointment if they had a medical question for him.</p><p>“You’re sure?” Dr. Zoë nodded her head enthusiastically, her earrings bobbing wildly. “Well, I’ve scaled back my workout routine and joined a yoga class, as you suggested, but I’ve still got so much energy that, while I still get tired at the end of the day, I just toss and turn all night.”</p><p>The other woman nodded, her eyes widening to concerning proportions behind her thick glasses. “That’s right, we'd talked about your workouts before. Are you still lifting weights?”</p><p>“No, but I’ve been doing bodyweight resistance training and have been spending more time on the treadmill to make up for it. But I’m just not getting that same muscle fatigue I’m used to.” She missed the burn and stretch of her muscles more than she thought possible. </p><p>“I see,” She said, drawing out the last word as she thought over the matter. “Why don’t you try changing your workout up a bit. Instead of using the treadmill, go for a run in one of the many fine parks our city boasts, don’t be afraid to really push yourself on your runs either.”</p><p>Mikasa considered the park closest to her apartment. It was the biggest park in Shiganshina and she’d seen many joggers working their way through the dozens of trails that snaked through it. Maybe she could try a run this weekend to get a feel for if she liked it or not. She’d have to go early to take advantage of the cooler morning air. </p><p>“Also,” Dr. Zoë continued, “I know we've talked about it before, but I highly endorse sex and masturbation.”</p><p>Mikasa felt her cheeks flush and glanced around to see if anyone had heard the two women talking so openly about such a private subject. Even if she and Levi were trying to establish some sort of healthy relationship before the baby arrived, sex was firmly off the table. Masturbation though, maybe she could do that, she’d never been terribly successful with it before but she could always try. </p><p>“If you decide to use sex toys of the internal use variety, I do urge you to be careful with the longer ones, you can potentially hurt yourself if you use them too roughly.” She said with a lascivious wink. </p><p>Mikasa’s face was fully red now and she had to tuck her chin down in a pitiful attempt to hide her embarrassment. Usually, she avoided participating in conversations like this. Her female friends sometimes gave her a hard time for not engaging in their talks when the topic turned toward sex. The only reason she was engaged in talking about it this time was that it directly concerned her health. Still, she felt she could do most of her research about masturbation in the middle of the night with the lights out and her browser on private and not in a room crowded with her co-workers and the most influential people of the city. </p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind.” Just how long did dildos get to pose risk to a pregnancy? She quickly decided she didn’t want to know when the only penis she’d seen in person grew to impossible lengths in her imagination. </p><p>Dr. Zoë tilted her head and leaned in closer to Mikasa as though she were studying a particularly interesting specimen. “Say, I have a proposition for you. The test results we’ve collected so far for your pregnancy are a bit odd,”</p><p>Odd? Odd how? Was her baby going to have a vestigial tail?</p><p>She must have made a face because the other woman threw up her empty hand to pause Mikasa’s wild imagination. “Not in a bad way, odd as in they’re textbook perfect every time. I’ve never come across anyone like that before. What I want is your permission to write a paper on your overall health during your pregnancy. This would involve taking a few extra samples with each appointment, and you'd be keeping a daily logbook of your physical activity, diet, and any medications you might take that day.”</p><p>That didn’t sound too invasive and she supposed it wouldn’t take up a lot of her time. Besides, it might be good for her to keep track of her health like that in case anything ever happened. “I guess I could do that,”</p><p>“Really? That’s great! And of course, I’ll keep any identifying information out of the paper and research. Academics can be so nosy and you wouldn’t want one showing up on your doorstep one morning asking for a stool sample, right?” She’d said it like a joke but it had Mikasa questioning her answer. Would that happen? Had that actually happened to someone before?</p><p>Eventually, it was announced that everyone needed to find a seat at a table as dinner would be served shortly. The way Scout liked to operate during these events was to pair off and then divide amongst the crowd to network with as many people as possible. This time, Henning was her partner. They’d agreed beforehand to meet on the south side of the room and find a table there. </p><p>Slipping through the crowd she’d seen a few people she’d recognized but she didn't stop to talk to any of them as there would be time for it later. Finally, she spotted Henning standing next to a table with his hand on two of the chairs. Once he spotted her, he gave a wave and took his seat. It only took her a moment longer before she was taking the seat next to him. </p><p>“Evening, Mikasa,” Henning said with a tired smile. </p><p>“Good evening, how are you doing?” She didn’t want to bring attention to how exhausted he looked. </p><p>“This is kind of relaxing compared to at home.” He said with a chuckle. Henning and his wife, Emily, were the proud parents of four little girls all under the age of three. Two surprise sets of twins had changed Henning from a thin and energetic man to a comfortably plump dad who was always ready for a nap. </p><p>“I bet,” She had heard raising just one child could exhaust a parent let alone four. </p><p>Mikasa turned her attention to the only other person at the table who introduced himself as Dennis Aiblinger, an executive with MP. Mikasa wasn’t terribly impressed with him, he hadn’t shaved and what facial hair he did have was patchy, his suit was wrinkled and he appeared to be well on his way to being drunk. </p><p>“Are you saving these seats for anyone?” A man with dark, short-cropped hair asked. Another man was standing with him and Mikasa had the impression she’d seen him somewhere before recently but couldn’t put her finger on where. </p><p>“They’re all yours,” Henning said, moving to stand to shake their hands. “Henning Weber with Scout Enterprises and this is my associate,” </p><p>Mikasa stood and leaned over the table to shake the hands of both men. “Mikasa Ackerman.”</p><p>“Gunther Schultz,” The dark-haired man introduced himself as. </p><p>“Eld Jinn, we’re with Legion Operations.” The blonde man with his hair pulled back in a bun said, “I think I saw you earlier this week when Levi and I had a meeting with Mr. Smith.”</p><p>That’s where she knew him from.</p><p>Mikasa felt every muscle in her body lock up at the same time. Oh god. “That’s right,” She said tightly once she finally found her voice. The way her body moved as she returned to her chair felt almost mechanical as if she were some kind of wind-up toy.</p><p>Was Levi here too? It would make sense if he was especially with the merger finally being announced next week. Had he told Jinn about their relationship? He at the very least knew she was pregnant as he’d been standing right beside Levi when Mr. Smith had congratulated her on her pregnancy. Did anyone else at Legion know though?</p><p>“Wait, Ackerman?” Schultz was cut off from further questioning by a sharp elbow from his coworker. Jinn offered up a smile meant to disarm but did absolutely nothing for her as her heartbeat rose to cartoonish proportions. Any second now the palpitations would be visible. </p><p>This only cemented what she’d feared and that was that Levi had told everyone that he’d gotten her pregnant. She hadn’t thought Levi was the type of person to gush about his personal life to all his co-workers. He'd seemed so stoic. Yet here she was, with two men she didn’t know but who knew her situation. </p><p>Dinner went by in a blur. They’d been served something fabulous that Aiblinger was still picking out of his teeth ten minutes after their plates had been cleared but that Mikasa could barely recall. Some kind of fish she’d scarcely touched. Mostly she’d pushed bits of food around her plate absentmindedly. </p><p>She’d also been a poor conversationalist throughout the meal, her attention split between discreetly searching for Levi in the crowded hall and noting Jinn’s odd behavior with increasing distress. Though she couldn’t see it, she knew he had been constantly checking his phone, so much so that Schultz had started giving him strange looks. Why else would he stare at his lap so much? When Jinn wasn’t on his phone he was making strange comments about women’s jewelry. Wedding rings specifically. </p><p>According to him he was considering proposing to his girlfriend and was polling everyone at the table. Henning answered most of the wedding ring questions as he was the only one present who was married. Aiblinger gave a slurred, but impassioned, speech about the dangers of marriage and committed relationships in general that left an awkward silence in its wake. Most curious, however, was Jinn’s insistence on asking her opinion about whether women in the workforce would wear their wedding or engagement rings to work. </p><p>The question sounded dangerously close to asking if she had to sell her single status image to clients in order to excel in the business world. Jinn quickly backtracked once he’d said it aloud, but it further soured her mood which could be felt around the table. Later, she would kick herself for reacting so childishly.</p><p>Fortunately, Aiblinger was there to save the night and regaled them all with tales of his escapades. All of which, were entirely inappropriate for the evening. </p><p>“Mikasa?” She looked over her shoulder to see Ian in his suit and tie with a hesitant smile. “Ready for that dance you promised me?”</p><p>Had she promised him a dance? It didn’t matter, she was leaving this table now. At this point, he could have claimed she promised him her hand in marriage and she would have left with him. Without a glance back, Mikasa stood from her chair and followed Ian to the dance floor at the front of the room. She’d apologize to Henning Monday.</p><p>Ian took Mikasa's hand when they reached the edge of the dance floor and led her to an empty space close to the middle. Just like this morning, his face had turned a concerning shade of red. She wondered if it was a medical issue of his, something he was born with or that maybe had developed with age. Wasn’t a flushed face a symptom of high blood pressure? Would that happen to her in a couple of years? She wasn’t entirely sure about the specifics of high blood pressure but she didn’t want to walk around with a red face constantly. There had to be some form of treatment for that, right? Was Ian already taking medicine for high blood pressure and suffering with a red face regardless?</p><p>In the back of her mind, she could hear Dr. Zoë telling her that sex helps regulate blood pressure in pregnant women. Would it work for men though? And would she be overstepping social decorum boundaries by bringing it up with Ian? As they twirled around the dance floor in the beginning steps of a waltz, Mikasa decided they weren’t close enough for her to be dishing out medical advice especially of that nature. </p><p>“You look really lovely tonight, Mikasa,” Ian said, breaking through her mental wanderings. </p><p>She could feel his fingers just barely touching the skin of her back as if he were afraid of taking advantage of the cut of her dress. Not for the first time, she was thankful that he was such a gentleman.”Thank you, I was kind of worried about the style, but it looks like I’m not the only one wearing a backless dress.” She nodded to a couple next to them, the woman in a red dress with no back. </p><p>They soon fell into comfortable conversation. Ian filled her in on the latest office drama at Rose Garrison. Apparently, Weilman had gotten divorced and was doing his damndest to secure a girlfriend that was younger than his ex-wife’s new boyfriend. The rumor was that he was even attempting to bribe some of the women at the office to only pretend to date him to trick his ex-wife. Weilman was now on administrative leave. </p><p>“Say, do you ever deal with Legion Operations?” Mikasa asked when she caught sight of Jinn at the bar watching her with a frown. The amount of attention he was devoting to her was starting to make her uncomfortable. </p><p>“Not personally, but I’ve met a few of them over the years. Why?” They continued to dance as the song ended and another began.</p><p>“I just had a strange experience with one of them at dinner. Jinn? I forgot his first name, Ed, maybe?” </p><p>“I know him, He works under Levi Ackerman as the Assistant Director in their financial department.” He said, a frown forming. Thankfully, the red tint to his cheeks and forehead had faded easing her worry over his immediate health. “What happened?”</p><p>Wait. </p><p>“Did you say Ackerman?” Surely she hadn’t heard that right. </p><p>“Yeah, any relation?” </p><p>Was there? Had she committed incest? Was the baby going to be deformed? How would she ever explain that?</p><p>“I don’t think so.” She hoped there was no relation. Her father hadn’t had any siblings so at least if they were related they weren’t cousins. Beyond that, she had no idea about her father’s side of the family. Maybe it was a different Levi entirely. Levi wasn’t exactly a unique name, there could be more than one person with the name Levi working at Legion. </p><p>“That’s him there, talking to Jinn.” He nodded over to the bar.</p><p>When she looked to the bar again it was to see Jinn and the Levi she'd slept with talking together. She had the most unsettling feeling that they were talking about her which was only confirmed when Jinn pointed to her. Levi almost looked bored when he turned to lock eyes with her. Why were they even talking about her? What was Jinn’s deal, anyway? Why was he so focused on her? Something she had done or something about her had clearly upset him, but for the life of her, she didn’t know what it was.</p><p>The latest song came to an end and Mikasa pulled back from Ian before he could turn her into another new dance. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the washroom. Thank you for the dance.”</p><p>Ian took her cue and took his own step back to put a more comfortable distance between them. “Right, maybe we’ll have time for another one before you go?” He asked sheepishly while tugging on the cuff of his sleeves.</p><p>That red flush was creeping up his face again. It wasn’t so pronounced as it had been earlier, but the frequency with which it came and went was concerning. “Maybe,” She was supposed to be meeting new people and Ian didn’t fall into that category. Still, if she had time, one more dance wouldn’t hurt. “I’ll see you later,”</p><p>Thankfully, there weren’t too many women in the restroom and the few that were there paid her no mind. Mikasa had been the center of attention all night it seemed like so this was a welcomed change. She took a seat in the armchair of the lounge area and pulled out her phone from the silver clutch she’d borrowed from Historia last Christmas but had never found the time to return. </p><p>There was a series of texts from Sasha detailing what promised to be a brutal hangover in the morning for her and Connie. She’d also gotten a text from Armin with a link to an article about saving the umbilical cord after birth, a topic he’d talked to her about before. ‘An investment in your child’s health’ he’d said. In any case, she’d save the article for later. </p><p>She pulled up her internet browser and searched for mail-in DNA kits. Her first instinct was to find the cheapest one available, but did she really want to risk a false result with a mediocre product? The answer was no, she did not want to be inadequately prepared for a child who would have extra needs. </p><p>Opening another tab, she searched for articles on birth defects caused by incest. A quick scan of the first search result said that fetal abnormalities presented in close to 50% of children born from parents who were first degree relatives. Another open tab and a quick search of the term first-degree relatives revealed that they were a person's siblings and parents. </p><p>Mikasa knew Levi wasn’t her father or brother, not unless there was a family secret no one had told her about. And she was pretty sure he wasn’t a first cousin. After her parents had died, Child Services had searched high and low for any close family to take her in. Their search had led them to Hizuru and the Azumabito’s but no other Ackermans had come up in the search according to Grisha. </p><p>Maybe it was just coincidence that they shared the same surname. She was still going to buy the DNA kit though.</p><p>Mikasa glanced up when someone from the sink started walking toward her on their way out the door. “Annie?” </p><p>Why had she said her name out loud? Annie probably would have walked right on by without ever noticing her had she not opened her big mouth. Eren’s new girlfriend was the last person Mikasa wanted to see while she was panicking about potential incest in the lady’s room at a work function. </p><p>Annie, resplendent in a sparkling white dress, paused in her steps. She looked just as surprised as to see Mikasa as Mikasa was to see her. “Hi,” She said slowly, her eyes widened as they searched Mikasa’s face, “I didn’t recognize you.”</p><p>That was fair, Mikasa usually didn’t wear a lot of makeup outside of events like this, even to work. She’d also only ever talked to Annie twice and briefly at that. “I don’t usually wear red lipstick.” It was one of her more pathetic excuses even if it was true. Sasha had convinced her to wear it last minute. She’d had a dusky rose color picked out before.</p><p>Annie’s eyes moved down to Mikasa’s lips and lingered there. “Maybe that’s it.”</p><p>She waited for Annie to stop staring at her lips for what seemed like a drawn-out moment. But she didn’t stop, she seemed almost transfixed and it was making Mikasa increasingly uncomfortable. “I didn’t know you’d be here, did Eren come too?” She asked. The moment Annie looked away and Mikasa ran her tongue across her teeth to remove any lipstick that might have been there. She didn’t feel any smear of the waxy substance, so hopefully, if there had been any on her teeth it had only been a small amount. </p><p>“My ticket was paid for by Legion, but Eren didn’t want to pay for one for himself.” She said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “He went out tonight with Armin and a few of their college friends instead.”</p><p>That sounded exactly like Eren. He’d done the same thing last year when she’d invited him to go with her. Granted, the tickets were expensive, but she’d offered to split the cost with him. It was one of her many failed attempts at getting him to go on a date with her. <br/>Mikasa stood up and brushed the wrinkles from her skirt. “Well, I think it’s time I get back out there, I still have to talk to some of our clients.” She slipped her phone back into her clutch and closed it with a small snap.</p><p>One day, she would get over her crush on Eren and she wouldn’t hate whoever he was dating on sight. She wouldn’t feel like an idiot for all her wasted time and effort and she wouldn’t run out and make stupid choices that would alter her whole life. Maybe she should see a therapist. Grisha had sent her to one a handful of times after he’d taken temporary custody of her, but it had never really panned out. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume she had developed a few issues that might need an outside hand to sort out. She’d have to look into it soon.</p><p>“Are you going to the restaurant opening next Friday?”</p><p>Mikasa nodded as she opened the door. “I am. You and Eren are going out of town that weekend aren’t you?” She didn’t like thinking about it but at least she wouldn’t have to share a table with the two of them and all their friends.</p><p>“We were, but with all the rain this past week there was flooding so we’re planning on going another time.” They stepped out into the hall and Mikasa turned to face Annie. “Eren said you don’t have a car so if you want we could pick you up and give you a ride to the opening?”</p><p>The careful way she spoke made Mikasa pause. Annie almost sounded shy. She wasn’t even making eye contact with Mikasa anymore. “I already accepted an offer from Armin, but thank you. Maybe next time.” What possessed her to say that? She never wanted to be stuck alone in an enclosed space for any amount of time with just Eren and Annie. </p><p>Annie finally looked up at her again. “Next time then,” Her eyes darted to something down the hall behind Mikasa. “Mr. Ackerman,”</p><p>Suddenly, Annie’s company wasn’t so bad.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't know why this chapter was such a beast to write, but here it is I hope I did it justice. Next chapter we start off with Levi's pov!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this fic is based on a webtoon on Tapas called Positively Yours by Kang Ki &amp; Lee Jung. I highly suggest you go check out the webtoon because I'm totally hooked! This fic will veer off the story Positively Yours and is not a word for word reproduction with character name changes.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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